Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois

Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL)

Type	Government-owned corporation
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	14 May 1946
Headquarters	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Area served	Luxembourg, parts of Belgium, France, Germany
Key people	Jeannot Waringo, President Alex Kremer, Director-General
Products	Rail transport, Cargo transport
Revenue	€684.19 million (2013)[1]
Operating income	€4.4 million (2013)
Net income	−€1.1 million (2013)
Owner	94% Luxembourg state, 4% Belgian state, 2% French state
Number of employees	3,070 (2017)
Website	CFL

Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois
CFL Dosto regional train in Luxembourg.
Operation
National railway	Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois
Statistics
Ridership	25 million (2019)(2019)[2]
Passenger km	463 million (2019)
Freight	804.8 tonnes kilometres (2013)
System length
Total	617 km (383 mi)
Double track	140 km (87 mi)
Electrified	574 km (357 mi)
Track gauge
Main	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
High-speed	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification
25 kV 50 Hz AC	528 km (328 mi)
3 kV DC	48 km (30 mi)
hideMap Map of the Luxembourgian rail network

The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (Luxembourg National Railway Company, abbreviated CFL) is the national railway company of Luxembourg. In 2013, it carried approximately 25 million passengers and 804 million tonnes of goods. The company employs 3,090 people, making CFL the country's seventh-largest corporate employer.^[3]

The Luxembourg rail system comprises 275 route-kilometres (170 miles), of which 140 kilometres (87 mi) is double track and 135 kilometres (84 mi) single track. Of the total track length of 617 kilometres (383 mi), 574 kilometres (357 mi) are electrified. Most of the electrified track (526 kilometres (327 mi)) is operated at 25 kV, 50 Hz, though some 48 kilometres (30 mi) are run at 3 kV DC.

Luxembourg borders Belgium, France and Germany. Correspondingly, there are cross-border services into these countries. Some are wholly run by CFL, whereas others are run by SNCF, NMBS/SNCB and DB. CFL passenger trains cover most of the network.

CFL operates most of its passenger trains using EMUs and electric locomotives with push-pull stock. The company also has a fleet of diesel locomotives for hauling freight trains and for general shunting purposes.

Luxembourg is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Luxembourg is 82.

History[]

CFL is the result of a nationalisation of private railway companies in 1946.

• History of rail transport in Luxembourg

CFL operations and services[]

Passenger train routes[]

Map of railway services and stations in Luxembourg

CFL advertises its passenger network as made up of seven lines:^[4]

• Line 10 Luxembourg – Troisvierges-Frontière – Liège (Belgium), Kautenbach – Wiltz and Ettelbrück – Diekirch
• Line 30 Luxembourg – Wasserbillig-Frontière – Trier (Germany)
• Line 50 Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen-Frontière – Brussels (Belgium)
• Line 60 Luxembourg – Esch-sur-Alzette – Rodange, Bettembourg – Volmerange-les-Mines (France), Noetzange – Rumelange and Esch-sur-Alzette – Audun-le-Tiche (France)
• Line 70 Luxembourg – Rodange – Athus (Belgium), Rodange – Longwy (France)
• Line 90 Luxembourg – Thionville (France) – Metz (France) – Nancy (France)

Internally it uses a different system with more sub divisions:^[5]

• Ligne 1 Luxembourg – Troisvierges-Frontière, 1a Ettelbruck – Diekirch, 1b Kautenbach – Wiltz
• Ligne 2a Kleinbettingen – Steinfort, 2b Ettelbruck – Bissen
• Ligne 3 Luxembourg – Wasserbillig-Frontière via Sandweiler-Contern
• Ligne 4 Luxembourg – Berchem – Oetrange, 4a Luxembourg - Alzingen
• Ligne 5 Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen-Frontière
• Ligne 6 Luxembourg – Bettembourg-Frontière, 6a Bettembourg – Esch/Alzette, 6b Bettembourg – Dudelange-Usines (Volmerange), 6c Noertzange – Rumelange, 6d Tétange – Langengrund, 6e Esch-sur-Alzette – Audun-le-Tiche, 6f Esch-sur-Alzette – Pétange, 6g Pétange – Rodange-Frontière (Aubange), 6h Pétange – Rodange-Frontière (Mont St. Martin), 6j Pétange – Rodange-Frontière (Athus), 6k Brucherberg – Scheuerbusch
• Ligne 7 Luxembourg – Pétange

Rail links to adjacent countries[]

All neighbouring railways use the same gauge but differing electrification types, listed below:

• Belgium – 3 kV DC
• France – 25 kV AC
• Germany – 15 kV AC

Ridership[]

Passenger ridership carried on CFL-trains for each fiscal year (x 1000).^[6]

Passenger kilometers on CFL-trains for each fiscal year (x 1,000,000).^[6]

Rolling stock[]

Most CFL-services are operated with modern double-decker trains, such as these Class 2200.

CFL owns a relatively modern fleet of passenger trains, with a majority of double-decker trains. Nearly all routes are operated with electric trains.

• CFL locomotives and rolling stock

Projects[]

In 2019, doubling of track between Luxembourg railway station and Sandweiler-Contern at a cost of €462 million was completed, following an original planned 2013 opening.^[7] A new, more direct, line between Luxembourg and Bettembourg is due to open in 2024.^[8]

See also[]

• CFL Cargo Denmark
• Trams in Luxembourg
• Transport in Luxembourg

Footnotes[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Société nationale des chemins de fer luxembourgeois.

• (in French) CFL official website
• (in French) 2006 Annual Report
• Collection of Google Earth locations of CFL stations (Requires Google Earth software) from the Google Earth Community forum.