The 34 new electric rail cars were ordered in December 2018 in a move part of the CFL’s strategy to respond to a bigger demand for public transport. Between 2003 and 2019 the number of people taking the train in Luxembourg has gone up by 85%, according to the railway company. The CFL aims to replace their old Z2 rail cars dating from the 1990s with these new Coradia Stream high-capacity series made by French multinational rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. This should increase the number of total seats among the CFL’s fleet of trains by 50%.

“With these new rail cars, CFL is setting a new standard for rail travel in Luxembourg. The acquisition of this new rolling stock will enable us to significantly increase our seating capacity, especially during peak hours--a comfort and quality criterion considered particularly important by our customers." , managing director of the CFL Group, said on Tuesday.

Passenger perks

The new trains come with WiFi, LED lightning, USB-A and USB-C sockets as well as an automatic passenger counting system that provides real-time information on the occupancy rate of each train. This new series of rail cars are equipped with an automated train operation system (ATO) which is designed to make traffic flow more smoothly and to save energy and wear on the train’s parts.

Those using the northern line will be the first one to come across the new higher-capacity trains that provide more space for bicycles and strollers as well. The vehicles are also intended for cross-border trips to Belgium (Athus, Arlon) and France (Longwy).

The CFL’s new trains were unveiled at the annual trade fare in Berlin. The 34 rail cars have undergone tests and validation runs in Spain, France, the Czech Republic and Belgium.