Benelux by train

Travelling around Luxembourg by train

Greetings! Here are some tips on travelling by train in/to/from/through Luxembourg. See also the home page for tips on train travel in Benelux in general; not all tips on Luxembourg in that page are repeated here.

Luxembourg is Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourgish, Luxembourg in French, and Luxemburg in German and Dutch. This is Luxembourg's official website, and tourism website. Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy (Groussherzogtum / Grand-Duché / Großherzogtum) remaining in the world, and Luxembourg is often referred simply as the Grand Duchy. Other than the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, there is also the Province of Luxembourg in neighbouring Belgium, which was historically a part of the Grand Duchy. (Luxembourg also lost territories to Prussia and France.) The primary train station in the Grand Duchy is Luxembourg Station, in Luxembourg City, the capital.

Passenger rail service operators

A number of companies run passenger rail services in Luxembourg. The following map shows the coverage of the various railway companies in Luxembourg (plus the Netherlands and Belgium; Luxembourg is LU in the map).

Operators of non-high-speed trains:

• CFL (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois 'National Company of the Luxembourgish Railways'; website, android, iOS. International booking website for France, international booking webpage for other countries): the Luxembourgish national railway company. Its network extends a little bit into Belgium and France, and a long way into Germany with a single line: RE to Trier Hbf / Koblenz Hbf, and once a day further as IC to Düsseldorf Hbf.
  • Also runs coach services to Saarbrücken Hbf in Germany and Lorraine TGV in France.
• NMBS/SNCB (domestic website, android, iOS; international website, android, iOS): the Belgian national railway company, runs all the way into Luxembourg station from the west and the north:
  • NMBS/SNCB runs the InterCity west to Namur and Brussels.
  • NMBS/SNCB runs some of the local services on the same line to Kleinbettingen or Arlon.
  • NMBS/SNCB and CFL jointly run the InterCity north to Liège and Liers.
• SNCF TER Grand Est: regional branch of SNCF (French Rail); runs a TER (regional) service between Luxembourg and Merz/Nancy to the south.

High-speed rail service operator:

• TGV of SNCF (French Rail): Luxembourg – Paris Est about 6 times per day, to Strasbourg/Lyon/Montpellier twice per day, from Montpellier/Lyon/Strasbourg once per day, and from Marseille/Lyon/Strasbourg once per day. Follows French long-distance ticketing rules.

OUIGO is SNCF's low-cost domestic high-speed service in France. Two OUIGO stations easily accessible from Luxembourg are Metz-Ville and Lorraine TGV to the south.

Types of train services

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Based on their stopping patterns, there are various types of train services in Luxembourg. Luxembourg uses Luxembourgish equivalents of the German nomenclature:

• RegionalBunn (RB): all-stops service
• Regional-Express (RE): skips some stations
• InterCity (IC): usually only stops at larger stations

The InterCity going west from Luxembourg to Namur/Brussels is run by NMBS/SNCB. On the same line, the RE or RB between Luxembourg and Kleinbettingen/Arlon is run by CFL or NMBS/SNCB trains. The InterCity going north from Luxembourg to Liège/Liers is run jointly by CFL and NMBS/SNCB (usually CFL locomotive with NMBS/SNCB carriages). Going east from Luxembourg, CFL runs at least one RE per hour to Trier Hbf and Koblenz Hbf. In Germany this service is called the RE 11. Once per day, the CFL RE 11 continues further from Koblenz Hbf, and becomes an IC to Bonn Hbf, Köln Hbf (i.e. Cologne), and Düsseldorf Hbf. (CFL's RE 11 train is often coupled with DB Regio Südwest's RE 1 train between Koblenz Hbf and Trier Hbf: after arriving at Trier Hbf from Koblenz Hbf, they are decoupled, with RE 11 continuing to Luxembourg, and RE 1 continuing to Saarbrücken Hbf and Mannheim Hbf.)

For French trains in Luxembourg, French nomenclature is also used:

• Transport express régional (TER): SNCF's brand of regional trains. They can be all-stops, or more like RE. Some can travel very far, like shorter versions of Intercités. Unlike Intercités, which is funded by the national government, TER is funded by regional governments.
• TGV: SNCF's high-speed rail service.

The following are network maps of the regular passenger rail services in Luxembourg and Belgium.

InterCity and high-speed rail network in Benelux (Luxembourg is LU in these two maps):

Local train network in Luxembourg and Belgium:

'P' is a Belgian nomenclature for supplementary services (usually additional services during peak-hours). The P trains that cross the Belgian–Luxembourgish border are classified as RB, RE, or IC in Luxembourg, based on their stopping patterns in Luxembourg. Otherwise they have the same train number in both countries.

You may be interested in the CFL printed timetables for domestic/cross-border destinations, and international destinations. CFL also has this timetable netgraph for domestic and some cross-border services. (The information in the printed timetables is not necessarily up to date; always check with CFL for the latest information.)

These are the timetable spreadsheets for the high-speed rail services in/to/from/through Benelux that I have compiled. (I cannot guarentee their accuracy! Click on the tabs for the various sheets. Timetabling for high-speed rail services is often very irregular, and they often change every few months; always check their websites for the latest information.)

Ticketing matters

Free of charge on domestic public transport

• The CFL funicular linking Pfaffenthal-Kircheberg station and the Luxtram/bus stop Rout Bréck - Pafendall above
• In 2018, buses and trams in Luxembourg City on Saturdays and shopping Sundays, valid on all AVL buses, Luxtram, some RGTR buses in Luxembourg City; CFL trains are NOT included. (The area of validity of this fare-free scheme is similar to – but not the same as – that of the Citykaart)
• City Shopping Bus
• Children aged 12 or younger, or primary school pupil of any age. (For domestic public transport, children aged 3 or younger must be accompanied by a passenger aged 12 or older; for Luxembourgish cross-border buses, children aged 5 or younger must be accompanied by an adult)
• Many other categories of people mentioned in this CFL page (or this page, the boxes without a price)

And on CFL domestic trains at least:

• Pets
• Bicycles

Luxembourgish public transport tickets

The Luxembourgish public transport system is coordinated through the Luxembourgish Verkéiersverbond. The mobiliteit.lu website gives information regarding all forms of public transport in Luxembourg. There is a mobiliteit.lu journey planner app (android, iOS), and a separate mTicket app (android, iOS) for mobile phone tickets.

For domestic and some cross-border public transport, Luxembourg has a unified time-based ticketing system. Other than domestic train travel in Luxembourg, the tickets also cover the other Luxembourgish public transport operators: AVL (Luxembourg City bus; list of lines), TICE (Southwest/Esch-sur-Alzette area bus; list of lines), RGTR (countrywide bus; list of lines), and Luxtram (one line).

Types of tickets

The range of Luxembourgish tickets advertised on the websties/apps of CFL, AVL, and the Verkéiersverbond are slightly different, but they are the same Luxembourgish tickets. The most common Luxembourgish tickets are:

• Short time ticket (Kuerzzäitbilljee / Billet courte durée): €2 second class, €3 first class, valid for two hours from validation.
• Day ticket (Dagesbilljee / Billet longue durée 1 jour): €4 second class, €6 first class, valid till 04:00 the following day from validation.
• 1 day group ticket (Gruppenbilljee 1 Dag / Billet de groupe longue durée 1 jour): €12 second class, ticket for 5 people, valid till 04:00 the following day from validation.

There are carnets: bundles of 10 short time tickets for the price of 8, or 5 day tickets for the price of 4. There are also 2 and 3 day versions of the 1 day tickets (Dagesbilljee 2/3 Deeg); their costs are just multiples of a 1 day ticket.

These Luxembourgish tickets give unlimited transfers amongst the modes of public transport where these tickets are valid (see below). Passengers have to leave the train/bus/tram that they are on before the ticket expires, based on the timetable schedule of that train/bus/tram service. (Fine for not having a valid public transport ticket in Luxembourg is €150.)

Other than these 2-hour and 1/2/3-day tickets, there are also monthly and annual subscriptions. With the monthly and annual subscriptions, there are 'entire network' options, and 'short distance' options. With the 'short distnace' options, you have to nominate an origin and a destination. In the terms and conditions is a hexagon map (the monthly and annual subscription hexagon maps are slightly different); 'short distance' is maximally six hexagons away from a centre point. If the origin (the 0th hexagon) or the destination (the 6th hexagon) is coloured, then the entire field of coloured hexagons is considered one field / within the zone of validity.

There is a Seniorekaart for people aged 60 or above: €100 second class, or €200 first class. It is valid for one year of public transport.

For RégioZone 1 and RégioZone 2 beyond Luxembourg (see below), there are a short time ticket, a day ticket, a monthly subscription, and an anuual subscription.

For Luxembourg City, the Citykaart is a monthly subscription that is valid for all AVL buses, Luxtram, and some RGTR and CFL trains in Luxembourg City; see the validity map in that page.

The mPass is given to employees by some companies in Luxembourg for public transport in Luxembourg. For employees living across the border, there are also tag-on deals with public transport in neighbouring Belgium, France, and Germany. See details in that page.

There are yet other Luxembourgish subscriptions: see here.

Validity area of Luxembourgish public transport tickets

For trains, the domestic tickets cover travels between any train station within Luxembourg (see the maps above). For the following stations right across the border:

• Audun-le-Tiche and Volmerange-les-Mines in France are only served by CFL, and are disconnected from the French passenger rail network (physically, and also not bookable through the SNCF website). These two stations are listed like other domestic stations in CFL's list of stations, and they have Luxembourgish ticket machines. I suppose Luxembourgish domestic tickets are valid for these two stations, but you should ask.
• Athus in Belgium is considered the same tariff point as Rodange in Luxembourg (I asked CFL about this). In other words, Luxembourgish domestic ticketing is extended to Athus. However, there are no CFL ticket machines at Athus. At Athus, you can purchase a Luxembourgish ticket from the CFL app or mTicket app, or from a CFL train conductor (€1 surcharge).

For buses and trams, domestic Luxembourgish tickets are valid on AVL buses, TICE buses, RGTR buses, and Luxtram. Domestic Luxembourgish tickets are also valid on RGTR buses to/from some closest-by international localities. For further localities with buses, there are RégioZone 1 and RégioZone 2 tariff levels, which are concentric from the domestic zone. See this page and the attachements (a list and a map) therein for localities in Belgium, France, and Germany where each of the three levels of tariff applies. (Domestic tariff is Tarifs national.) RégioZone 1 and RégioZone 2 fares are only valid on RGTR buses and the CFL coach service to Saarbrücken, not on trains!

All regular cross-border buses are subsumed under RGTR, except for a few Belgian buses; the Wallonian TEC runs a few of its own services to Luxembourg. Luxembourgish tickets are NOT valid on the TEC buses. However, TEC subscriptions from TEC Namur-Luxembourg are valid on AVL and RGTR buses.

Some monthly and annual subscriptions have a restricted geographical range; see above.

Channels of purchase and ticket media

People with a Luxembourgish mobile phone number can send an SMS to 64222 with A as the content for a 2-hour ticket. It costs €2 for the ticket, and €0.25 for the SMS. Tickets are validated immediately. (You need to have a valid ticket as you board a train/bus/tram; sending this SMS only when you see a ticket inspector is way too late; you will likely get a €150 fine.)

The basic tickets can be purchased from a bus driver or a CFL train conductor (train attendent). All tickets bought from a CFL train conductor have a €1 surcharge. Tickets are validated immediately.

There are the CFL app (android, iOS), and the mTicket app (android, iOS) for mobile phone tickets. The CFL app takes Visa and Mastercard. The mTicket app takes DIGICASH (Luxembourgish bank transfer) and PayPal. With the CFL app, individual tickets, or the first ticket in a carnet, is validated immediately. The rest of the tickets in a carnet has to be validated in the app before usage. When ordering a monthly network subscription in the app, one can choose the starting date of the subscription.

There are CFL ticket machines at all train stations in Luxembourg, at Audun-le-Tiche and Volmerange-les-Mines in France, but apparently not in Athus in Belgium and other foreign stations served by CFL. The CFL ticket machines sell domestic tickets, and also some cross-border return tickets. This is a two-page explanation in English from CFL on how to use the CFL ticket machines, including a list of cross-border tickets available from the ticket machines. In the machine, you can switch between Luxembourgish, French, German, and English languages. The machines take coins, and some cards (Vpay, Visa, Mastercard, Maestro). Very few machines take banknotes. Tickets are validated immediately after purchase.

An mKaart – Luxembourg's contactless RFID card – can be obtained for free when purchasing a Luxembourgish public transport ticket at some ticket counters (see Où est-ce que je peux obtenir ma mKaart ?). The card has a validity of five years. There are anonymous cards, and personalised cards. Tickets and subscriptions can be loaded into an mKaart at the aforementioned ticket counters, at the ticket machines of the Verkéiersverbond, or from the mShop website (see next paragraph). This is the User Guide (May 2017) of mKaart. To validate a ticket: a) if there is just one ticket/carnet in the card, just tap the card on the card reader, and that ticket is validated; b) if there are multiple tickets/carnets in the card, tap the card once on the card reader, the screen then displays the tickets that the card has in it, you press the ticket that you want to validate on the touchscreen, and then you have to tap the card on the card reader again to validate it; c) if you want to validate multiple tickets, e.g., if the card is used by two people using two separate tickets in the card at the same time, repeat the procedures in b).

If you already have an mKaart, you can go to the mShop website, set up an account / log into your account, and purchase Luxembourgish public transport tickets there. However: a) tickets ordered online are only available after 04:00 the next day; and b) the tickets are not automatically loaded into an mKaart; you have to go to a validator, press the pink circle on the top left corner of the touchscreen, and then hold the card on the card reader until the tickets are loaded into the card.

The Verkéiersverbond has their ticket offices – the Mobilitéitszentral – at Luxembourg and Belval-Université stations. CFL has ticket offices at ten stations, where both domestic and international tickets can be purchased. Luxembourg station has a separate international ticket office. Very near the international office (indoor) is an SNCF long-distance train-ticket machine for France.

One can also book international train tickets from the CFL website. For international e-tickets to/from Luxembourg, (I think) you always have to print the ticket out on a piece of A4 paper. There is the Luxembourgish version of the SNCF website for destinations in France, and the Luxembourgish version of the NMBS/SNCB booking webpage for destinations in other countries. With the SNCF website, the Luxembourgish version and the French version seem to give the same prices. With the NMBS/SNCB booking webpage, however, it is worth comparing the price given by the Luxembourgish version versus the Belgian version. Also check the international booking webpages of other nearby countries (see links at the home page).

Accessibility issues

This is the CFL accessibility information page. There is an assistance service, which has to be booked at least one hour beforehand for domestic services, and at least 48 hours beforehand for international services. Telephone: +352 49 90 37 37, Fax: +352 49 90 34 89, E-mail: video-surveillance.zoc@cfl.lu

People with carte d’invalidité of categories A/B/C issued by the Luxembourgish Ministère de l'Intérieur travel for free in Luxembourg.

A useful website is info-handicap.lu.

Train deals with Germany

There are short-distance tickets for just across the border, and there are long-distance tickets. For transportation of bicycles, see what Deutsche Bahn says in German about this.

Special short-distance cross-border tickets

The Saarbrücken Express bus is covered by Luxembourgish RégioZone 2 tickets (see above).

Here is a map of the local train lines in Rheinland-Pfalz 'Rhineland-Palatinate' and Saarland (or from here and then press Liniennetzkarte), the two German states that border Luxembourg.

For train travel, there is a special day return ticket from any pre-nominated station in Luxembourg to Trier, or just from Wasserbillig (on the border) to Trier at a cheaper price. These tickets can be bought from a ticket machines, or from the CFL app. Child fare is applicable to children between 6 to 11 years old inclusive. Separate outbound and inbound tickets are issued, and they need to be presented together. (I do not understand what the line Les titres doivent être agrafés 'the tickets need to be stapled' (?) in the terms and conditions means; they need to be time-stamped at a validator machine? they need to be physically stapled together?) This day return ticket is also available in the opposite direction from Trier to Luxembourg.

There are also monthly/annual subscriptions along this line to as far as Wittlich.

See this for group tickets (six or more people).

For one to five people, there is the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux, which costs €30/37/44/51/58 for 1/2/3/4/5 people for a day (slightly cheaper booking online from DB), covering: a) in Luxembourg, the CFL domestic railway network; b) railway across the Igel frontier; c) in the German states of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) and Saarland (plus some bordering regions), local trains (IRE/RE/RB/S-bahn) and bus/trams. It is valid on Mon–Fri from 09:00 in Germany (i.e. valid on a train departing Luxembourg station at about 08:30), and no restrictions on Sat–Sun. (See the validity area and other rules in the terms and conditions. Read them very carefully.) The names of the holders have to be written on the ticket. This ticket can be purchased from the CFL ticket machines. (Within Germany, there is also the Rheinland-Pflaz-Ticket, which is Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux minus Luxembourg. Saarland-Ticket is the same thing as Rheinland-Pflaz-Ticket.)

If you are buying a ticket from Luxembourg to Koblenz Hbf (or slightly before Koblenz Hbf), one-way: the line between Luxembourg and Koblenz Hbf is an RE service, i.e. German local train fare rules apply. The CFL and NMBS/SNCB International websites offer you the full fare of approximately €45 one-way (in early 2019). The DB website, however, automatically also offers you the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux, e.g. €30 for a 1-person ticket (see immediately above), if the journey is not before 09:00 on weekdays. Other than the fact that it cannot be refunded/altered, the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux is a considerably better deal, giving you basically unlimited day travel. If you are going only one-way (not returning on the same day), and departing very early (about 06:00), consider buying a ticket from DB on the direct Luxembourg – Koblenz – Düsseldorf service to Andernach, which is one station past Koblenz Hbf. Because the section between Koblenz and Düsseldorf is classed as an IC service, German long-distance train fare rules apply when the ticket includes a section on a long-distance service in Germany (IC in this case). A Luxembourg – Andernach one-way ticket from DB can be as cheap as €20 (Super Sparpreis; no flex). There is no rule which says that you cannot leave the train at Koblenz Hbf. (But the IC section between Koblenz Hbf and Andernach on the ticket is then forfeited, on a Super/Sparpreis ticket.) The direct train from Düsseldorf goes back to Luxembourg in the afternoon; with such an Andernach – Luxembourg one-way ticket, you can join the Koblenz – Luxembourg RE service as stated on the ticket, or the RE services thereafter.

From Germany, VRT (Trier transport authority) has the day ticket TagesTicket DeLux, and the month / year subscriptions MobilTicket DeLux Monat/Jahr. There are five tariff levels: from Übergangstarifzone 1 closest to Luxembourg, to Übergangstarifzone 5 covering the entire VRT area. These tickets/subscriptions cover the non-high-speed trains and buses in Luxembourg and the VRT area, but border crossing is restricted to railway across the Igel frontier, bus 401, and bus 407. This ticket is not valid on Luxembourgish cross-border buses 100, 116, 117, 118, 134, and 157. See also the VRT to Luxembourg page for further illustrations.

South of the VRT region, sharing a short border with Luxembourg is the saarVV region of Saarland. saarVV tariff extends a little bit into France, but apparently not into Luxembourg. In the opposite direction, Luxembourgish buses extend into Saarland.

The Moselle/Mosel/Musel forms the border between Luxembourg and Germany from Schengen down to Wasserbillig, and is very scenic. Running along the Mosel on the German side is RB 82 Perl – Trier Hbf – Wittlich Hbf. The following are some railway stations right across from Luxembourg: In Saarland, Perl is right across from Schengen, and Nennig is across from Remich. In Rhineland-Palatinate, Wincheringen is across from Wormeldange, Wellen (Mosel) is across from Grevenmacher, and Oberbillig is across from Wasserbillig. South of Perl, passenger trains on this line cross the Apach frontier to Thionville and Metz in France only twice in each direction on Saturday and Sunday (RE 16). SNCF TER runs buses between Thionville and Apach/Perl on Monday to Saturday.

For the Luxembourg – Germany – France tripoint region, there is the Saar-Lor-Lux ticket, which costs €26/36/46/56/66 for 1/2/3/4/5 people for one Saturday or one Sunday, covering most of the local trains in Saarland (Germany), Lorraine (France), and Luxembourg, and some bordering regions. (Check the validity area and other rules in the terms and conditions; read them very carefully.)

See the Germany section in the home page for the local transport tickets that cover the whole Germany.

Other international tickets

For Germany, there is a saver fare (i.e. non-flexible fare) called Sparpreis Europa for international tickets which involve at least one section of travel on long-distance trains (e.g. ICE/IC/EC) in Germany. Before or after the German ICE/IC/EC journey, Sparpries gives a free connecting journey on slower trains (including IC and local trains in Benelux) up to a certain distance. After that, the price increases in increments of €10.

With Luxembourg, the free connecting distance is hard to predict: for some journeys, Sparpreis to the entire country costs the same; in other instances, Sparpreis to/from Wasserbillig on the border is €10 cheaper than to/from Luxembourg station. It is best to compare Sparpries to/from Trier Hbf, Wasserbillig, and other destinations in Luxembourg.

Train deals with Belgium

Also read further in the Belgium page.

Special short-distance cross-border tickets

There are special day return tickets and monthly subscriptions between any station in Luxembourg and some near-by stations in Belgium. For the day-return tickets, the following options are available (TGL = any Luxembourgish station; see also the maps above):

• TGL – Arlon/Messancy via Sterpenich frontier
• TGL – Messancy/Arlon via Athus
• TGL – Aubange/Halanzy/Virton via Athus
• TGL – Gouvy/Vielsalm/Trois-Ponts via Gouvy frontier
• Troisvierges – Gouvy/Vielsalm/Trois-Ponts via Gouvy frontier

(Troisvierges is the northern-most station in Luxembourg, just before the Gouvy frontier.)

CFL ticket machines only sell special day-return ticket tickets to Gouvy/Vielsalm/Trois-Ponts, and for 'Arlon via Sterpenich' and 'Arlon via Athus'. Tickets for Arlon via either route costs the same, but since railway companies are very particular about which frontier a passenger cross for international travel, you better not mix these two routes and their corresponding tickets up. The other destinations to the west of Luxembourg cost the same as Arlon, except for Messancy via Sterpenich, and Virton, both of which are more expensive than the Arlon tickets. (Although costing the same, I assume you cannot use an 'Arlon via Athus' ticket for Halanzy/Aubange/Messancy via Athus? Please ask.)

For children: a) in Luxembourg, children 12 or younger travel for free; b) in Belgium, children 5 or younger travel for free, children 6 to 11 inclusive travel for free if accompanied by a passenger 12 or older with a valid ticket, and each such passenger can take along at most four children 6 to 11 years old for free; otherwise a child needs to have a child ticket.

The monthly subscriptions have destinations further in Belgium, and includes other public transport in Luxembourg. One commonality between these special-priced tickets/subscription is that they CANNOT be combined with another Belgian domestic ticket on the same train. For instance, do not board the IC from Luxembourg to Arlon with one of these special day return tickets, and then stay on the same train beyond Arlon with a Belgian domestic ticket.

The exact same range of tickets/subscriptions are also offered by NMBS/SNCB (Belgian Rail) in the opposite direction, with the same rules about not combining with a Belgian domestic ticket on the same train.

Other international tickets

For Belgium, other than full-flex tickets, there are also the mid-flex tickets of weekend return (depart on Fri/Sat/Sun, return on Sat/Sun), and youth single/return (for people 25 years or younger). These give 30% off full fare.

Otherwise, there are also the no-flex 30-day return tickets called Escapade 1/2/3 (€55/77/99 second class, or €90/140/190 first class, for 1/2/3 people), and the youth version called Pass Partout (€22 second class per person return), between any pre-nominated station in Luxembourg and any pre-nominated station in Belgium. (Pass Partout seems to be only available from Luxembourg.) With these normal international tickets, unlike the special cross-border return tickets, you can use them in combination with another Belgian domestic ticket in the same train (I asked NMBS/SNCB International about this).

An international ticket that has its origin or destination in a Zone in Belgium automatically gives the traveller, on the ticket's date of validity, free travel on NMBS/SNCB trains within that Zone until they leave the zone.

Train deals with the Netherlands

Also read further in the Netherlands page.

For the Netherlands, going via Belgium, firstly there is the Early Bird deal: fixed discount when booked seven or more days ahead of the departure date, on non-high-speed trains. The discount is on average 40% for Monday to Thursday departures, and 20% for Friday to Sunday departures. There are equivalent deals from Belgium to the Netherlands, and from the Netherlands to Belgium, or to Luxembourg via Belgium. In the Netherlands, with an international ticket, the ICd surcharge is not applicable. Something that I have only seen mentioned in the CFL terms and condition for the Early Bird deal is that the ICE surcharge in the Netherlands is also not applicable. (But the ICE surcharge in Belgium is applicable.) If booking this deal from the Netherlands, it is best to do so online; the Dutch ticket machines and the normal ticket counters only sell full fare tickets, while the NS International ticket counters and telephone booking usually charge hefty booking fees.

Another deal, only available from CFL, is the Nederland Speciaal: 40% discount for a 30-day return ticket, between any station in Luxembourg and any station in the Netherlands. With this deal, the transit route between Luxembourg and the Netherlands has to be (Troisvierges) –[Gouvy frontier]– Liège –[Visé frontier]– (Maastricht).

For the Netherlands, usually going through Belgium is faster and cheaper. However, it is also worth checing options going through Germany instead, especially if the discounts via Belgium are not available to you, and/or if you are going to places in the Netherlands close to the German border. Even for Amsterdam, if you book late, it is worth comparing prices going through Belgium versus Germany.

Train deals with France

Special short-distance cross-border tickets

There are special day return tickets from any station in Luxembourg to Thionville/Metz/Nancy via the Bettembourg frontier on TER trains (not TGV trains). These tickets are also sold from CFL ticket machines. Child fare is applicable to children 4 to 11 years old inclusive. There seems to be an equivalent ticket sold in France in the opposite direction.

On the other hand, there seems to be no special day tickets to Longwy and beyond via the Rodange frontier. When buying an international ticket to Longwy, just get a domestic Luxembourgish ticket, and an international ticket between Rodange and Longwy or further. That short international section between Rodange and Longwy is quite expensive. Getting an international ticket all the way from Luxembourg City to Longwy is horrendously expensive, based on what SNCF charges on the internet. (If you have time, just catch a RGTR bus between Rodange and Longwy; the RGTR bus to Longwy is covered by domestic Luxembourgish tickets.)

There are also weekly, monthly, and youth monthly subscriptions. These cover all train stations in Luxembourg and till some point on the TER line towards Nancy via the Bettembourg frontier, or to Longwy via the Rodange frontier. The monthly subscriptions also cover other forms of public transport in Luxembourg. For departures from Luxembourg, these subscriptions can be purchased by anyone in Luxembourg. In the other direction, they can only be purchased by residents of Lorraine (the French region south of Luxembourg).

The Gare Lorraine Express bus (to the station of Lorraine TGV) has tickets of its own, and this service must be pre-booked.

For the Luxembourg – Germany – France tripoint region, there is the Saar-Lor-Lux ticket, which costs €26/36/46/56/66 for 1/2/3/4/5 people for one Saturday or one Sunday, covering nearly all the local trains in Saarland, Lorraine, and Luxembourg, and some bordering regions. (See the validity area and other rules in the terms and conditions; read them very carefully.)

This is the official webpage of rail maps of France. This is the website of SNCF TER Grand Est (local railway network of the region to the south of Luxembourg).

Buses right across the border in France:

• Meurthe et Moselle (only a short border in the southwest):
  • Longwy urban: TGL
  • Meurthe et Moselle district: Ted
• Moselle:
  • Thionville urban: Citéline
  • Moselle district: Tim

Other international tickets

For France, TGV and OUIGO has dynamic pricing (i.e. book early for the best price), while TER has fixed price. SNCF charges a horrendous amount for connecting train trips within Luxembourg. For TGV, book till Luxembourg; for TER, book till Bettembourg (if you do not have a special Lorraine–Luxembourg day return ticket). Get domestic Luxembourgish tickets from Luxembourg/Bettembourg if you have to travel further in Luxembourg.

England

There are no special deals between Eurostar and Luxembourg. The most direct connections from Luxembourg to Eurostar are: a) TGV Luxembourg to Paris Est > walk or metro one stop to Paris Nord > Eurostar; b) InterCity Luxembourg to Brussels-Midi/Zuid > Eurostar. The cheapest way would be catching a CFL train to Athus (domestic Luxembourgish ticket), and then use an Any Belgian Station + Eurostar ticket from Athus (but Belgian trains only go to Athus on weekdays/non-Belgian holidays). You can also get a NORMAL FULL-FARE Luxembourg > Arlon international ticket, and then use an Any Belgian Station + Eurostar ticket from Arlon on the Luxembourg > Brussels IC (you can do this; I asked NMBS/SNCB International about this; just make sure that you are not using a special day-return ticket between Luxembourg and Arlon, as these special day tickets cannot be combined with a Belgian domestic ticket on the same train).

Tourist railroads

The information below is shown in the weekend local train maps above.

• AMTF Train 1900 from Pétange uphill. Steam and diesel train rides.

Disclaimer

I do this as a hobby. I am not a travel agent; while I would be interested in questions that you might have, please direct your questions to the public transport providers involved. Situations and rules can change quickly; please check with the public transport providers for the latest information. I take utter care on the accuracy of the information I provide here, but I cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. If you see any doubtful information, comments are welcome: hilario.bambooradical gmail.

Unless otherwise stated, all diagrams and photos are work of mine. Please respect copyright. I apologise for the quality of the photos and videos; I hope that they are good enough for illustrative purposes.