Luxembourg has a short but well-maintaned railway network. It’s a small country and there is a few railway lines with total length of 274 km (standard gauge). Train travel in Luxembourg is free from 2020 in 2nd class within border of the country.
Last updated: 01.02.2024
The history of the railway in Luxembourg began in 1859. On 11 August 1859 the railway line from Thionville to Luxembourg was inaugurated – train from Luxembourg to Paris carried 600 passengers. On 5 October 1859 the railway line Luxembourg – Arlon was opened.
In 1859-1862 four main railway lines in Luxembourg were built:
Luxembourg – Bettembourg – France
Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Belgium
Luxembourg – Wasserbillig – Germany
Luxembourg – Ettelbrück (extended to Belgium in 1867)
In 1880 the first express train Luxembourg – Paris was launched.
On 17 April 1946 the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) company was founded.
The first railway line in Luxembourg was electrified on 28 September 1956.
Train travel in Luxembourg – domestic trains
Travelling by train in Luxembourg is easy and free if you travel in 2nd class. Trains are overcrowded in rush hours. Public transport is very well organized and you can explore the entire country for free – buses, trams and funicular are also free of charge to both residents and visitors. Trains are operated by Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), except for some narrow gauge and mining trains. The public transport is very easy to use, clean and safe.
Useful websites
Luxembourg Railways – official website
Mobiliteitszentral.lu – public transport timetable and search engine
Map of railway services in Luxembourg (Wikimedia)
Rolling stock is mainly modern. CFL operates most of its passenger trains using electric multiple units and electric locomotives with push-pull stock. Sometimes old diesel multiple units are deployed.
Most popular domestic routes are:
Luxembourg – Esch-sur-Alzette
Luxembourg – Diekirch
Luxembourg – Kautenbach
Train travel in Luxembourg – international trains
There are many passenger trains between Luxembourg and neighboring countries. Passenger can choose between regional trains, long-distance trains and TGV. Train from Bruxelles to Zurich was ceased.
Belgium
There are many trains between Belgium and Luxembourg. Most popular are Intercity trains:
Luxembourg – Brussels (comfortable trains)
Luxembourg – Liege (new EMU’s or old carriages with compartments)
Commuters use regional trains Luxembourg – Athus, some of them are extended to Arlon.
Intercity trains to Brussels and Liege are operated by SNCB-NMCS
France
Passenger trains connect Luxembourg with border towns and important cities in France. Trains run on the following routes:
Luxembourg – Thionville (regional train)
Luxembourg – Longwy (regional train)
Esch-sur-Alzette – Audun-le-Tiche (cross-border train)
Luxembourg – Metz or Nancy (TER train)
Luxembourg – Paris (TGV)
Luxembourg – Marseille (TGV)
Most of them are operated by SNCF.
www.sncf-connect.com – SNCF’s online shop
Germany
There are only regional or Regional Express trains between Luxembourg and Germany. Intercity trains from Luxembourg to Cologne and Norddeich were ceased. Some of the trains Luxembourg – Trier are extended to Koblenz or Dusseldorf.
Netherlands
There are no direct trains between Luxembourg and Netherlands. Passengers from Luxembourg need to change trains in Liege or Bruxelles.
Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg funicular
In addition to trains, Luxembourg Railways CFL also operates the Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg funicular railway in Luxembourg city. The funicular was put into operation on December 10, 2017. The funicular carry passengers between the Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg train stop and the tram stop (Kirchberg, Rout Bréck – Pafendall). Due to the large slope between the railway and tram stops, it was decided to partially use the escalators from the station and then the funicular.
The funicular route is approximately 200 meters long. It consists two wagons; each of them can accommodate 168 people. The journey takes 63 seconds and the height difference between the tram and train stations is 38.5 meters. The funicular runs very frequently and from the beginning of its operation you can use it free of charge. About 1.5 million passengers used funicular within one year of inauguration.
Minièresbunn
Narrow-gauge railway running on selected days on several short sections, including Fond-de-Gras – Lasauvage, Fond-de-Gras – Saulnes. The biggest attraction of the line is the passage through a 1.4 km long tunnel in a former mine. The trains are hauled by an authentic steam locomotive from 1897 or diesel locomotives, and through the mentioned tunnel they are pulled by an electric locomotive. The journey ends in in the charming village of Lasauvage.
The narrow-gauge railway is part of the mining open-air museum on the site of a former iron mine.
Minieresbunn – official website
Chemins de Fer Lankelz
The miniature railway built in 1997 in Esch/Alzette – Lankelz carries children and adults every Sunday from the first Sunday in May to mid-October on two lines: the first line is a 1-kilometer loop, while the second is a 350-meter-long line. The miniature locomotives are replicas of locomotives that once ran in Luxembourg.
Chemins de Fer Lankelz – official website
Train 1900
A heritage train running between Pétange and Bois-de-Rodange stations on a route of 7.3 km length. The train passes, among others, through Fond-de-Gras, where you can change to the Minièresbunn narrow gauge railways. The maximum slope of the line near the Prenzebierg hill is as much as 23%. The one-way journey takes an hour, of which over twenty-five minutes is spent in Fond-de-Gras. The first train on this line went on route on August 4, 1973, and since then, journeys have been held every year on Sundays and holidays from May 1 to the last Sunday of September. Organized groups can rent a train at any time.
Train is operated by AMTF Train and has heritage passenger cars hauled by a steam locomotive or passengers are carried by vintage diesel multiple unit.
Train 1900 – official website
Related articles:
Railways in Europe by country
Train travel in Belgium
Train travel in France
