The international line from Luxembourg to Liège through the Ardennes deserves better!

On October 11th, 2023, a press conference was held in Gouvy where the two trade unions OGBL/FNCTTFEL-Landesverband and CGSP Cheminots Régionale LVHW (Liège – Verviers – Huy – Welkeraedt) presented their demands regarding the international line Luxembourg – Liège via the Ardennes.

During the press conference, René Birgen, secretary of AÖT (Aktioun Öffentlechen Transport), presented the joint document of demands.

The two unions welcomed the signing on October 3 by Luxembourg’s Minister of Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, and Belgium’s Minister of Mobility in the Belgian Federal Government, Georges Gilkinet, of a declaration of intent to strengthen rail cooperation between Luxembourg and Belgium, in which both parties commit themselves to the following objectives

Double the share of commuters using trains between the two countries by 2040.

Double the volume of rail freight between Belgium and Luxembourg by 2040

To make rail transport even more attractive by reducing travel times between the two capitals, with the aim of connecting Brussels and Luxembourg in 2 hours by 2030.

However, this declaration of intent does not mention the Luxembourg-Liège line, where investment would be entirely appropriate to reduce the current journey time of 2 hours 39 minutes to 100 minutes. This demand was already made by the Landesverband and the CGSP in 2005, but unfortunately little has been achieved so far. However, it would be possible to reduce the travel time by increasing the speed of the line between Gouvy and Vielsalm from 100 km/h to 120 km/h. However, according to an Infrabel official, this would require an investment of around 3 to 4 million euros to correct the curves and adapt the catenary to the new layout.

On the Belgian side, it has been announced that major investments in line 42 are not planned until 2026 and 2027, and that the work will be limited to ballasting and the replacement of individual points to avoid temporary slowdowns on the line.

Another requirement is the use of more comfortable trains on the line. The Siemens Désiro railcars currently running on the line are far from first-class. Narrow seats in 2ᵉ class, a single lavatory per power car for a 230-seat train, and a 1ᵉ class that is not much different from the 2ᵉ class are not very attractive criteria for enticing additional passengers to make this long train journey. There is therefore an urgent need to use more comfortable vehicles such as SNCB’s I11 or M6.

Finally, the rail service between Luxembourg and Liège needs to be improved as soon as possible. In addition to improving the timetable, additional trains are needed during the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays and Saturdays. Currently, the first train from Liège does not arrive in Luxembourg until 8:46 a.m., which is far too late for many employees. In the evening, the last train to Liège leaves at 21:16, so an extra train an hour later would make sense.

Communicated by the Syndicate Chemins de fer OGBL/FNCTTFEL Landesverband,
October 12, 2023