CFL director general Marc Wengler told RTL the railway was working on improving its punctuality, highlighting that around 9 out of 10 trains arrive on time.
Appearing on RTL Radio on Thursday morning, Wengler said CFL's punctuality rate was currently at around 90%, meaning most trains arrive on time. The national rail network is also working on expansion, as well as tackling customer experience and issues with level crossings.
The 90% punctuality rate puts CFL in a competitive position compared to railways abroad, Wengler said. In fact, 3 out of the country's 6 major train lines, in eastern and northern Luxembourg, have rates exceeding 90%. However, the biggest issue faced by the train network are foreign strikes, which can have a major impact on Luxembourg's train traffic. In total, 94 days have been affected by strikes this year alone, particularly impacting the south of the country.
"It's no coincidence that we have one of the biggest expansion projects going on at the moment, the new line between Bettembourg and Luxembourg City," Wengler said. "The track is being doubled, which will in turn double our capacity, and we are really focusing heavily on this project over the summer period."
Should engineering works be better coordinated?
When asked why major construction sites such as the Dudelange motorway and the expansion of the train line between Bettembourg and the capital are running simultaneously, with knock-on effects on road users and passengers alike, Wengler said the CFL were in constant contact with local councils and the Roads and Bridges Administration to limit the consequences on traffic. However, he said it was normal for such large construction sites to have an impact on traffic.
"Of course it's better to take a month, or two months, to make more progress, compared to dividing the work into smaller sections," he said. "In the last few years we've mainly focused our construction work on the north, for example, in Mersch or Ettelbruck. We also checked these with the Roads and Bridges Administration when the work resulted in closures, to make sure they weren't carrying out tunnel maintenance at the same time. These things are systematically reviewed."
Dommeldange, Noertzange, Dudelange: where level crossings result in traffic jams
Another issue for Luxembourg's road users are the 106 level crossings spread out across the country. Although around 40 have been removed over the past few years, the project is a lengthy process and requires extensive planning. Wengler estimated it would take around a decade from the idea to finding and implementing an alternative.
"We have to discuss with so many participants, such as local municipalities, the Roads and Bridges Administration, but also with landowners. Often the alternative to a level crossing can only be the creation of a tunnel, or a bridge. We can't just close down level crossings without implementing a solution."
Wengler said there were plans to shut 2-3 level crossings per year, although he acknowledged it would certainly take a while before all the level crossings were replaced.
CFL's punctuality is a vital topic for Wengler, but informing passengers as efficiently as possible was just as important, he said. The rail network is working hard to improve in this area. Customer satisfaction is important to CFL, he said, which is why the train operator surveys thousands of customers every year to identify the areas which require the most improvement.
Finally, Wengler confirmed an internal investigation had been opened into the irregularities regarding the CFL's video surveillance service. Although he did not provide in-depth detail, he said new information had been received, leading to disciplinary measures.
