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 / Groothertogdom) 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, most of 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'; domestic website, android, iOS; international booking webpage, android, iOS): the Luxembourgish national railway company. Its network extends a little bit into Belgium and France, and a long way into Germany along a single line to Trier Hbf / Wittlich Hbf / Koblenz Hbf, and once a day further 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 Arlon, Namur, and Brussels.
  • NMBS/SNCB and CFL runs the local services on the same line to Kleinbettingen or Arlon.
  • NMBS/SNCB and CFL jointly run the InterCity north to Liège (weekdays) and Liers (weekend).
• SNCF TER Grand Est: regional branch of SNCF (French Rail); runs – together with CFL – a TER (regional) service between Luxembourg and Merz/Nancy to the south.

High-speed rail service operator:

• TGV inOui of SNCF (French Rail): Luxembourg – Paris Est about 6 times per day, to Strasbourg / Lyon / Montpellier once per day, to Strasbourg / Lyon / Marseille 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-stop service
• Regional-Express (RE): skips some stations
• InterCity (IC): usually only stops at larger stations

The InterCity going west from Luxembourg to Arlon/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 (CFL locomotives with NMBS/SNCB carriages). Going east from Luxembourg, CFL runs one RB (called RB 83 in Germany) per hour Monday to Saturday to Trier Hbf and Wittlich Hbf, and also one RE (called RE 11 in Germany) per hour everyday to Trier Hbf, Wittlich Hbf, and Koblenz Hbf. 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; RE 11 then goes to to Luxembourg, while RE 1 goes 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. (The P services to the north from Luxembourg have been replaced by regular hourly IC services at the end of 2020.)

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

Ticketing matters

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).

Free of charge

Second class travel on trains is free within Luxembourg. The Luxembourgish passenger railway network extends into Audun-le-Tiche and Volmerange-les-Mines in France; there are Luxembourgish ticket machines at these stations, and these two stations are not connected to the French passenger railway network. 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 (i.e. free in second class). However, there are no CFL ticket machines at Athus.

Bicycles, pets, and luggage also travel for free on CFL trains domestically.

Travel is also free with Luxtram, and domestic travel in Luxembourg with the Luxembourgish bus companies: AVL (Luxembourg City bus), TICE (Southwest/Esch-sur-Alzette area bus), RGTR (countrywide bus). German bus 410 (Luxembourg – Bitburg) is also covered under Luxembourgish tariff (free within Luxembourg). However, (as far as I know,) Wallonian TEC buses are not free!

Not free of charge

First class travel on trains within Luxembourg remains unchanged: €3 two-hour ticket (€24 for set of 10), €6 day ticket (€24 for set of 5), €37.5 short-distance month ticket, €75 month ticket, €330 short-distance year ticket, €660 year ticket.

Passengers have to leave the train they are on before the ticket expires, based on the timetable schedule of that train service. Two-hour tickets expire after two hours from the time of ticket validation, and day tickets expire at 04:00 the following day. (Fine for not having a valid public transport ticket in Luxembourg, when one is required, is €150.)

For short-distance month and short-distance year tickets, look at this hexagonal map, you nominate a starting point first, and 'short-distance' is six hexagons from the starting hexagon, with the starting hexagone being the zeroth hexagon. If the zeroth or the sixth hexagon is a purple hexagon, then the entire patch of purple hexagons is considered one hexagon.

There are special train deals with nearby areas in Germany and France. On the other hand, most deals with Belgium have been cancelled (prices have just gone down a lot in general).

For cross-border buses, there are the RegioZone fares. For nearly all RGTR buses that cross the border, and German bus 410 (Luxembourg – Bitburg), they are free within Luxembourg, otherwise RegioZone 1 fare is charged: €3 one way, €5 day ticket, €40 month ticket, €360 year ticket.

RegioZone 2 fare is €5 one way, €9 day ticket, €85 month ticket, €750 year ticket. RegioZone 2 fare is for:

• The last two stops of RGTR bus 155: Dillingen and Saarlouis in Saarland
• CFL's Saarbrücken Express bus

The Wallonian public transport operator TEC runs a few of its own services to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, but it does not participate in Luxembourgish ticketing.

Channels of purchase and ticket media

The basic tickets can be purchased from 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) for mobile phone tickets. The CFL app takes Visa and Mastercard. A ticket is validated immediately. When ordering a monthly network subscription in the app, one can choose the starting date of the subscription. It seels first class train tickets, cross-border bus tickets, and return train tickets to Trier. (There is also the mTicket app (android, iOS; on 1 March 2020 it was not working.)

There are CFL ticket machines at all train stations in Luxembourg, at Audun-le-Tiche and Volmerange-les-Mines in France, but apparently not at Athus in Belgium and other foreign stations served by CFL. The CFL ticket machines sell domestic tickets, and also some cross-border 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.

mKaart is Luxembourg's contactless RFID card. After second class public transport becomes free on 1 March 2020, the mKaart remains in use for first-class train tickets, cross-border bus tickets, and accessing mBox (bike storage at train stations). An mKaart can be obtained for free when purchasing a Luxembourgish public transport ticket at some ticket counters. 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 ticket counters, at the ticket machines of the Verkéiersverbond, or from the mShop website (see next paragraph). To validate a ticket: a) if there is just one ticket in the card, just tap the card at the card reader, and that ticket is validated; b) if there are multiple tickets in the card, tap the card once at 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 at 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.

Full range of domestic, cross-border, and international tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices at Luxembourg and Belval-Université stations. Near the International ticket office at Luxembourg station is an SNCF long-distance train-ticket machine for France. TICE has a ticket office for cross-border bus tickets at Esch-sur-Alzette station.

One can also book international train tickets from the CFL website. The usual international booking webpage of CFL is a Luxembourgish version of the NMBS/SNCB (Belgian Rail) booking webpage. There is also a Luxembourgish version of the SNCF (French Rail) website. 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

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 CFL 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), the two German states that border Luxembourg.

For train travel, there is a special day return ticket to Trier: second class €5 for adult and €2.5 for child (6 to 11 years old inclusive), first class €11 for adult and €5.5 for child. This can be purchased through, e.g., ticket machines, CFL app. Clauses in French.

There are also monthly/annual subscriptions, called the OekoCard, along this line to as far as Wittlich. German residents need to provide evidence of employment in Luxembourg, while Luxembourgish residents need identity documents. See also this website. Clauses in French.

For one to five people, there is the Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux, which costs €24/29/33/39/44 for 1/2/3/4/5 people for a day, covering: a) free second-class public transport in Luxembourg; 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, or online via DB. Clauses in French. (Within Germany, there is also the Rheinland-Pflaz-Ticket, which is Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux minus the crossing at Igel frontier. 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 a full fare ticket. The DB website, however, automatically also offers you the cheaper Rheinland-Pfalz-Ticket + Lux (see immediately above), if the journey is not before 09:00 on weekdays (but this cannot be refunded/altered). If you book the CFL service to further than Koblenz, that service turns into an IC from Koblenz onwards, and German long-distance fare rules apply. If you are going one-way, the cheapest long-distance tickets (e.g. to the next stop Andernach) can be cheaper than the local tickets to Koblenz (but the flexibility is poor with the cheapest long-distance tickets).

From Germany, VRT has four fare zones on the Luxembourgish side of the border, from south to north: 915 Wasserbillig-LUX, 913 Echternach-LUX, 918 Vianden-LUX, and 954 Clerveaux-LUX. Tickets to Luxembourg has to specify one of these four frontier zones, but the price is just the same as the last fare zone on the German side of the border. See this page on VRT's explanations on public transport becoming free in Luxembourg and what it means to cross-border transporation between Luxembourg and Germany.

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 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 are the saver fares called Sparpreis Europa, and also the even cheaper Super 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.

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). Child fare is applicable to children 4 to 11 years old inclusive in France. There is an equivalent ticket sold in France in the opposite direction. Clauses.

On the other hand, there seems to be no special day tickets to Longwy and beyond via the Rodange frontier. Get a normal international ticket to Longwy or further.

There are also weekly / monthly / yearly subscriptions between France and Luxembourg called the Presto / Primo (Primo for people 25 years old or younger; Presto / Primo are the names of the usual subscriptions offered by SNCF TER Grand-Est.) Via the Bettembourg frontier, a range of destinations in Lorraine are available. However, via the Rodange frontier, the only destination in France available is Longwy. For departures from Luxembourg, get them from CFL. For departures from France, get them from SNCF TER Grand-Est.

For first class travel between Longwy and Luxembourg, there is a seperate subscription called the Flexway 1st class Longwy - Luxembourg.

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

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 to the southwest):
  • Longwy urban: TGL
  • Meurthe et Moselle district: fluo
• Moselle:
  • Thionville urban: Citéline
  • Moselle district: fluo

Other international tickets

For France, TGV and OUIGO has dynamic pricing (i.e. book early for the best price), while TER has fixed prices.

Train deals with Belgium

Also read further in the Belgium page.

Special short-distance cross-border tickets

There are no longer special return tickets between Luxembourg and nearby places in Belgium since public transport became zero-fare in Luxembourg. CFL ticket machines sell cross-border tickets to Gouvy/Vielsalm/Trois-Ponts via Gouvy frontier, Arlon via Sterpenich frontier, and Arlon via Athus. (Do not cross at the wrong railway frontier.) There are also monthly subscriptions. Belgian rail says that these Belgium–Luxembourg cross-border tickets and subscriptions can be combined with another domestic Belgian ticket to travel further on the same train service in Belgium.

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.

Other international tickets

For Belgium, other than full-flex tickets, there are also speical weekend return tickets (depart on Fri/Sat/Sun, return on Sat/Sun).

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, there is the Early-Bird deal. The Early Bird deal gives 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 the Netherlands to Luxembourg via Belgium, and between the Netherlands and 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.) Fare-paying adult can take along children 11 years old or younger for free. 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.

For the Netherlands, usually going via Belgium is faster and cheaper. However, it is also worth checing options going via 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 via Belgium versus Germany.

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.

On weekdays, the cheapest way is catching a CFL train to Athus (free Luxembourgish public transport in second class), and then use an Any Belgian Station + Eurostar ticket from Athus. (Belgian trains only go to Athus on weekdays/non-Belgian holidays.) Alternatively, if you catch a direct train from Luxembourg to Brussels Midi/Zuid, you can get a Luxembourg > Arlon ticket, and combine that with an Any Belgian Station + Eurostar ticket from Arlon on the Luxembourg > Brussels IC.

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.