The Luxembourg rail network is constantly in motion: every day, around 1,000 trains run on the network, carrying passengers and goods; all lines of the entire Grand Duchy converge in the Luxembourg city train station, the central hub of the railway network.
Over the past few years, the number of customers using the services offered by the CFL Group has increased significantly, leading to bottlenecks in various parts of the network, such as the north exit of the main station.
Soon, train passengers will be able to reach their destination more easily: in order to increase the capacity of the network and, in particular the Luxembourg city railway station, a large number of major projects is currently underway. These include the construction of a second “Pulvermühle” railway viaduct and the double-track extension of the Luxembourg – Sandweiler-Contern section, two major projects that will help to reduce these bottlenecks.
These spectacular projects are a real challenge for all CFL employees involved, especially given that these works are being done while the rail network continues to be in service.
The second “Pulvermühle” viaduct
The giant “Pulvermühle” viaduct rises majestically over Luxembourg’s old town and the Alzette River, used by trains servicing line 30 to connect the capital with the eastern part of the country and Germany (Luxembourg – Wasserbillig – Trier), as well as by the trains of the northern route (line 10: Luxembourg – Ettelbrück – Troisvierges). In order to improve the flow of rail transport near the main station, a second "Pulvermühle" viaduct is being built in parallel to the existing railway bridge at the northern entrance to the main station.
The construction project has been ongoing since 2009 and has been making good progress. Once the work is completed, the viaduct will be 242 metres long and will have two lanes to the east of the country. A 275 metre-long “riprap” will serve to connect the new lanes to the east with the existing ones.
The new rail viaduct will be operational in 2019, while construction works will continue until 2020.
The double-track extension of the section Luxembourg – Sandweiler-Contern
Closely linked to the construction of the second “Pulvermühle” viaduct is the double-track extension of the Luxembourg – Sandweiler-Contern section of line 30. Like the second “Pulvermühle” viaduct, the expansion project, well advanced since its beginnings in 2013, aims to increase the capacity of the network to improve the punctuality of trains. The work also includes the moving and rebuilding of the Cents-Hamm and Sandweiler-Contern railway stops, as well as the removal of the railway crossing at Cents. In order to increase the safety of all road users, this level crossing is being replaced by an overpass.
With the commissioning of the new facilities in 2019, the expansion works of the section will be completed.
