CFL, Police Launch International Level Crossing Awareness Day Campaign

Luxembourg's national railway company, the CFL, has announced that it is joining forces with the Grand Ducal Police to launch an awareness campaign as part of International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD).

The CFL confirmed it is once again participating in ILCAD, placed this year under the slogan "Safe decisions - every time". The CFL and the Grand Ducal Police are carrying out a joint awareness campaign on Thursday 5 June 2025, from 07:00 to 09:00, at the PN21 level crossing in Lintgen to remind everyone of the mandatory safety rules.

According to the CFL, there are currently 105 level crossings across the Grand Duchy, four of which are reserved for pedestrians. Using these intersections between the road and rail networks safely requires compliance with "simple yet essential" rules, namely:

1. Stop as soon as the red lights come on and/or the audible warning sounds near the level crossings;

2. In the event of a traffic jam, wait in front of the open barriers until you can completely cross the level crossing in one go and without any part of your vehicle remaining stuck on the tracks;

3. If for reasons beyond your control, you are stuck on the level crossing tracks while the barriers are closing, cross the barriers by breaking them with your vehicle (breaking points provided for this purpose) to clear the track and leave the danger zone;

4. If you notice that a vehicle is stopped on the tracks, call 112 and enter the number of the level crossing displayed on the booth located next to each level crossing. The CFL recalled that a train can take up to 1,200 metres to stop. Even if the train driver sees a car on the tracks, emergency braking can rarely prevent a collision.

Between 2015 and 2024, five people lost their lives on the Luxembourg rail network following a road accident at a level crossing, noted the CFL. During the same period, fourteen other accidents occurred between trains and pedestrians, cars, lorries or agricultural tractors, following violations of the Highway Code, as well as 769 disturbances or damages (for example, the tearing off of a barrier by a vehicle), of which approximately 45% were caused by professional drivers. The CFL noted that such incidents deeply affect the people involved (including CFL staff) and have repercussions on rail traffic.

The CFL explained that it is continuing its efforts to remove level crossings, in order to avoid intersections between the road and rail networks, as much as possible. Since 2012, 42 level crossings have been removed.

Currently, work is underway to remove the PN59 in Milbech in the municipality of Contern. This work is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2026. In Luxembourg-Dommeldange, the PN13 will be permanently closed from 7 June 2025 and road traffic will be diverted via Rue Auguste Laval. The CFL has asked pedestrians and cyclists to use the Dommeldange station underground passage. Redevelopment work will begin in October 2025 with the construction of an underpass for pedestrians, cyclists and people with reduced mobility.

On Thursday 5 June 2025, CFL cargo and ArcelorMittal will join the awareness campaign: they will distribute leaflets illustrating appropriate behaviour at level crossings to drivers travelling on the steelworks sites, which still have around 35 level crossings. An awareness campaign is also planned for the Mertert port site and its trimodal operation (rail, road, river).

The CFL said that, this year, it is also taking the opportunity to highlight the problem of illegal track crossings by third parties. The international Trespass Awareness Day (TRESPAD), commemorated on 4 June, aims to raise public awareness of the serious risks involved near the tracks, especially if they are crossed illegally. The presence of people near the tracks outside of stations and stops affects the entire rail sector, with a negative impact on safety, health and punctuality. The CFL added that, as soon as people are spotted near the tracks, the driver must reduce his speed to be able to brake in an emergency, thus leading to delays or even cancellations.

In 2024, CFL staff observed 798 illegal crossings (up from 602 in 2023 and 471 in 2022), including 466 at stations. On average, every day at least two people endangered their lives by taking the prohibited shortcut via the tracks. Moreover, in 2024 alone, people near the tracks led to more than 15,500 minutes of delays and 275 train cancellations.

According to estimates by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), more than half of deaths due to rail accidents in the EU involve unauthorised persons on the tracks or trespassers (61%) and almost a third occur at level crossings (33%).