Luxembourg’s railway company, the CFL, has announced that due to works being carried out for future mobility, train services on three lines will be modified or interrupted from Saturday 5 to Monday 21 April 2025.

The affected routes include certain sections of the lines between Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Arlon (Belgium), Luxembourg – Bettembourg and Ettelbruck – Gouvy (Belgium), as well as between Kautenbach – Wiltz. To minimise the impact of these works and for the safety and comfort of passengers, the CFL said it is carrying out the majority of the works during the school holidays, which is typically a period of lower traffic. As an alternative, the CFL is providing a replacement bus service on each route.

The works and disruptions scheduled are:

Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Arlon, from Saturday 5 to Monday 21 April 2025 (inclusive) 
For several years, the CFL has been renewing the Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Arlon line in sections. During the Easter period of 2025, the section between Luxembourg and Bertrange will be completely renewed over a total length of 6km (two sections of 3km each) to continue to ensure the safety and comfort of the CFL's passengers and staff. With the help of a specialised train ordered from abroad, the CFL will replace 6km of track, including 8,500 tonnes of ballast and 9,700 wooden ties, with concrete ties that have a longer lifespan.

To continue ensuring proper rainwater drainage and avoid flooding of the tracks, the CFL will also renew the drainage system over a length of 3.5km and the access tracks reserved for CFL staff. To optimise coordination of the works by different public bodies, the closure of the Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Arlon line will also allow the National Roads Administration to undertake work on the underside of the OA1004 bridge at Capellen.

Buses serving all stops between Luxembourg and Arlon (Bus L50) will be available to passengers. During the entire duration of the works, the CFL will also provide direct replacement buses between Luxembourg and Arlon (Bus L52).

Luxembourg – Bettembourg, from Saturday 5 to Monday 21 April 2025 (inclusive)
During the Easter holidays, the closure of the section between Luxembourg and Bettembourg will allow the CFL to continue work related to the expansion of the Howald exchange hub to the south of Luxembourg’s main station. The expansion of this exchange hub plays an important role in separating the traffic from the Luxembourg – Thionville – Metz (France) and Luxembourg – Esch-sur-Alzette – Rodange lines between Luxembourg and Bettembourg, the most frequented section of Luxembourg’s railway network. This is considered an essential element of the CFL's strategy to optimise rail traffic and improve train punctuality for its passengers.

After the near completion of civil engineering works on the second platform, the CFL will continue construction of a staircase providing access to the tram stop overlooking the railway tracks from the new platform. Additionally, a staircase will be installed on the second platform providing access to the CFL pedestrian bridge and the nearby bus station. Once completed, the second platform at Howald will allow trains from the Luxembourg – Esch-sur-Alzette – Rodange line to reach Luxembourg station while remaining completely separated from trains on the Luxembourg – Thionville – Metz (France) line along the entire route between Bettembourg and Luxembourg, including at Howald. In this context, further works will be carried out to the south of Luxembourg station to ensure that trains from both lines can be received on separate and dedicated tracks at Luxembourg station.

During the train disruption period, the CFL will also carry out preparatory works to enable the renewal of 8.7km of track between Howald and Berchem, which will be carried out during the summer of 2025. To the north of Bettembourg station, work will also continue to prepare for the connection of the new Luxembourg – Bettembourg line to the Bettembourg station in summer 2027.  

Among the works carried out during the school holidays will be the installation of a series of piles to ensure the stability of existing structures within the footprint of the new line. Additional works include the installation of concrete precast walls over approximately 100m, on which, in a later phase, acoustic panels will be fixed to reduce noise pollution from trains running nearby. Furthermore, in preparation for the movement of 500m of track between Luxembourg and Bettembourg in summer 2025, some electrical installations, signal cables and telecommunication cables will be moved during the school holidays in April 2025.

A replacement bus service (Bus L60) will be available between Luxembourg and Bettembourg. Passengers wishing to continue their journey by tram, e.g. towards Howald, can take the tram at the Lycée Vauban stop, located near the Hildegard von Bingen bus stop served by the L60 buses.

The CFL has invited passengers wishing to reach Berchem station (bus stop: Bivange Schoul) to take advantage of the RGTR bus service between Luxembourg and Berchem. From Monday to Friday, the CFL will provide replacement buses to Berchem (Bus L61) during the early morning and late evening hours. On weekends, L61 buses will run throughout the day.  

Passengers travelling between Esch-sur-Alzette and Luxembourg (City) can either take the train to Bettembourg station and continue to the capital on the L60 replacement bus or opt for the direct buses between Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette (Bus L62) from Monday to Friday.  

Ettelbruck – Gouvy /  Kautenbach – Wiltz, from Saturday 5 to Saturday 19 April 2025 (inclusive)    
Between Ettelbruck and Gouvy and between Kautenbach and Wiltz, no trains will operate between the hours of 19:40 and 03:30 as the CFL will be carrying out night works. These works are mainly aimed at completing the final touches on the Integrated Control Centre of the North Line, which has been in operation since 2024. A replacement bus service will be available between Ettelbruck and Gouvy via Wilwerwiltz (Bus L15), between Ettelbruck and Gouvy (L16 – direct) and between Ettelbruck – Wiltz via Kautenbach (Bus L17).  

Full details of the bus services are available at: www.cfl.lu, as well as on the CFL mobile app and Mobiliteit.lu.

SM