(L-R): Jeannot Waringo, President of the Board at CFL; Henri Werdel; François Bausch, Minister of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure; Marc Wengler, CEO at CFL;
Credit: MDDI
Yesterday, Monday 16 October, at the Rotondes in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, Luxembourg's Minister for Durable Development and Infrastructure, François Bausch, and the Director General of Luxembourg's railways (CFL - Chemins de Fer Luxembourg), Marc Wengler, addressed employees of the CFL and members of the press to outline the major rail developments taking place and planned to take place over the next 5-7 years.
Minister Bausch gave a short presentation focussing on the increased investment that will take place, citing a figure of €1.3 billion spent over the ten years between 2003 and 2013, as compared to an actual and planned expenditure of €3.8 billion for the ten year period between 2013 and 2023. This expenditure is largely being funnelled into 17 major projects spread over the five pillars of Security, Quality, Knowledge, Innovation and Performance. The need for this increased investment is fuelled largely by the significant upturn in passsenger usage, which has gone from 14 million journeys in 2005 to 22.5 million journeys in 2016, an increase of some 60%, which the existing network is struggling to accommodate.
Highlights of the 17 projects include a local investment of €71 million in the ETCS (European Train Control System) project which improves signalling and train monitoring across the EU, €51 million in GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications - Railway) which includes the erection of 83 pylons to replace all of the old analogue communications, the construction of a new railway line between Luxembourg and Bettembourg, new multi-transport interchange hubs at Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg, Howald and Ettelbruck, adding a second railway track between Luxembourg and Sandweiler, the addition of four more tracks at the Gare de Luxembourg, the addition of a second viaduct at Pulvermuhl, the removal of ten level crossings for safety reasons, renovation of many stations including the creation of new P&Rs, the creation of five new stations at Volmérange-les-Mines, Mamer-Lycée, Lamadelaine, Belval-Université and Belval-Lycée, plus a significant investment in new rolling stock.
