Residents in southern Luxembourg and the French border region are set to face significant travel disruptions this summer, as extensive construction projects in Bettembourg will lead to a complete shutdown of the railway link to the capital for two months.

Starting from Saturday, 13 July, until Monday, 16 September, there will be no train services operating between Bettembourg and Luxembourg. Furthermore, Bettembourg station will not be able to accommodate any trains during the first month of the planned works due to the full reconstruction of the Hammerel bridge over the train tracks.

The Luxembourg National Railway Company (CFL) will simultaneously carry out preparatory work to connect the new Bettembourg-Luxembourg line.

The closures will be split into the following periods:

• Saturday 13 July to Sunday 11 August: Bettembourg station will be fully closed. There will be no train services on line 90 from Thionville, or line 60 from Esch/Rodange towards Bettembourg. CFL will provide  a replacement bus service to Luxembourg City.

• Monday 12 August to Sunday 15 September: Bettembourg station will reopen, but trains will terminate there. This means that passengers will need to board a rail replacement bus to continue their journey to Luxembourg City.

According to CFL's latest estimates, doubling the tracks between Luxembourg and Bettembourg will allow for an increase in the number of trains from 2028 onwards. Trains on line 60 (from Esch/Rodange) will use the existing tracks, while trains from Thionville (line 90) will use the new tracks, with up to eight services per hour.

"We set a new record for passenger numbers in 2023 with 28.7 million, which allows us to continue our modernisation efforts with the aim of becoming the preferred choice in terms of mobility," says Marc Wengler, general director at CFL. Nevertheless, this summer promises to be particularly difficult for train commuters.