© Domingos Oliveira / RTL
The rail network is currently completely cut off between Thionville and Luxembourg City: with no more trains running, passengers rely on replacement buses.
A new seven-kilometre railway line will be built between Bettembourg and Luxembourg City to alleviate the heavy daily traffic of trains coming from southern Luxembourg and from Metz via Thionville.
As the regional trains from Luxembourg and Thionville have entirely different structures and needs to the French TGVs that pass via the same line, 'a new track is being built to separate the two types of traffic,' explains Henri Werdel, CFL's Director of Infrastructure.
In addition, the Bettembourg and Howald stations need to be widened to ensure that a two-way railway line can continue to serve even the trains of up to 250 metres in length with a seating capacity of 1,000. The goal is for ten trains per hour and per direction to run on the line, but this increased capacity has to first be negotiated with the French rail company SNCF.
However, the journey time won't change much for cross-border commuters from Metz and Thionville. Indeed, the trains will be able to travel at speeds of up to 160 km/h, but only on a short, 7-kilometre-long section of the line. What it will do, says Wendell, is 'improve punctuality, as the trains will be separated from each other'.
Construction work began before the summer holidays, of which some will continue over the break.'I think we'll use this period to finish the bits best worked on in summer, when the weather is good,' Werdel adds.
Works unlikely to end before
2027
Passengers will have to wait for these updates as construction work on the new line is expected to be completed in 2027. Trains between Thionville and Luxembourg City have been suspended in full due to the installation of a new bridge over Bettembourg station and will remain so until 11 August 2024.
Although Bettembourg station will reopen after this date, trains to and from the capital will remain suspended until 15 September 2024 due to further engineering works.
In the years to come, passengers using the line will still be subjected to cancellations and revised timetables. "We have more closures planned for Easter 2025, summer 2025, and over the summer in 2026 and 2027," reveals Rui Raimundo, project lead at CFL. The cycle path between Bettembourg and Luxembourg City train station is also projected to be completed in that time.
New Hammerel bridge in Bettembourg
Curious onlookers assembled in Bettembourg on Wednesday evening to watch the installation of the new Hammerel bridge, as work commenced at 10pm.
Moving the bridge is a long process which requires much patience and dexterity. The new installation will replace the old Hammerel bridge, which was recently demolished after 50 years.
