On Monday, 16 September, train services between Bettembourg and Luxembourg will resume after a two-month suspension, a day French border workers and residents have eagerly awaited. The first train will depart from Thionville to Luxembourg at 5.19am., while the service from Esch-sur-Alzette will start at 4.48am.
For 65 days, from mid-July to mid-September, there were no trains operating between Bettembourg and Luxembourg.
As a result, passengers on lines 90 (Nancy–Luxembourg) and 60 (Esch/Rodange–Bettembourg) had to use replacement buses, significantly extending their daily journeys.
Two consecutive construction projects – one at Bettembourg station and another further north – prompted CFL, the Luxembourg National Railway Company, to suspend train services towards Luxembourg.
Deprived of their train connection Luxembourg–France, the cross border workers had reacted fiercely and exposed the uncomfortable situation to RTL Infos on the morning when the break started.
During the initial phase of the closure (from Saturday, 13 July to Sunday, 11 August), Bettembourg Station was shut to demolish the Emile Hammerel bridge, which had connected the railways in the heart of Bettembourg for over 50 years. During this period, the main structure of the new steel bridge was also installed over the tracks.
The second phase, from 12 August to Sunday, 15 September, focused on transforming Bettembourg station into a terminal for trains arriving from France and southern Luxembourg. Over these two months, CFL worked on the tracks in preparation for the new Bettembourg-Luxembourg connection, which is expected to be completed by 2027
CFL undertook extensive work at Howald station and reinforced the northern part of Bettembourg station with “rigid inserts.” This involved driving concrete or prefabricated pillars into the ground to reduce the pressure and weight the ground must bear daily.
Given that future demands will increase, two additional train tracks have also been added.
