History of rail transport in Luxembourg

A preserved CFL NOHAB class 1600 diesel locomotive with a train at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France

The history of rail transport in Luxembourg began in 1846 and continues to the present day.

Origins

A Luxembourgish locomotive pictured in 1889

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg belonged to the German Confederation from 1815 to 1866 as a sovereign state. The relevant treaties still remained in force after 1871 when the German Empire was founded: the Grand Duchy therefore remained a member of the German Zollverein and connected to the German Empire through a currency union, until 1918. However, until 1890, so in the period during which most of the railways were built, the Grand Duchy was connected in personal union to the Dutch monarchy. Luxembourg's neighbour, Belgium, had definitively split off from the Netherlands in 1839 with the Treaty of London. Close economic ties continued to remain between Belgium and Luxembourg. Furthermore, there were British economic interests in the area. Thus, British companies and banks also studied the feasibility of railway projects that affected Luxembourg from around 1845. The Grand Duchy's finances and its financial sector were at the time too weak, to undertake railway projects itself. There was the additional problem that the city of Luxembourg was a German federal fortress, and that therefore the Prussian military stationed there prohibited the construction of a railway into the city itself.: 242, 247 

In 1827 a company, the Société anonyme de Luxembourg was founded in Brussels with the goal of building a navigable canal between the Maas and Moselle, a project that was already abandoned in 1830 however. From this company, and supported by British creditors, the Great Luxembourg Company / Grande Compagnie Luxembourgoise was founded in 1845, with the goal of connecting Luxembourg to its three neighbouring countries through railways. A preliminary agreement was signed on 4 June 1846, but did not immediately bear fruit, as the government and the company could not reach a final agreement. A few years later, by the law of 7 January 1850, the government was authorized to negotiate with private companies. The law provided a guarantee of a minimum interest of 3%.: 244 

In 1853, the Luxembourger François-Émile Majerus, who had worked for a long time in Mexico as an engineer and geologist, published a pamphlet showing the great economic advantages for agriculture, trade and the Luxembourgish steel industry which would result from a Luxembourgish railway network connected to neighbouring countries.

In this context, in the mid-1850s it was necessary to take a decision. In 1854, the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Strasbourg, which would later become the Compagnie des Chemins de fer de l’Est (EST), opened the Metz–Thionville railway line. A decision had to be taken how it should be extended to the north: via Luxembourg or via Longwy.

In the second half of the 19th century, there were three diverging transport interests in Luxembourg:

  • Luxembourg City, the capital and largest city of the country, lies at the crossroads of several European routes. In terms of railways, the railway station of Luxembourg City today forms the main intersection.
  • The steel industry – primarily in the south and south-west of the country – required efficient railway lines for the transport of ore, coal and steel.
  • The country as a whole, despite its small size, had a need for countrywide transportation, which could not be met by a network centred on Luxembourg City; also because the city is located in the south of the country's geographical centre.

To resolve these transport needs and interests, which were not all compatible with each other, several railway companies came into being, which each pursued their own goals.

With the northwards expansion of the Thionville line, the Longwy route was in the interest of Belgian and Lotharingian industrialists, who wanted to link up iron ore mines and the steel industry in the French-Luxembourgish border area.: 244  Due to strategic military interests of the French government, however, the decision was taken to extend the Thionville line towards Luxembourg. Prussia on the other hand wanted a railway connection towards the east, to its own sovereign territory.: 242 

The Grande Compagnie Luxembourgoise had talks in 1853 with the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Strasbourg over the construction of railways in Luxembourg, and the Crédit immobilier de Paris bank declared its willingness to finance the project. (The Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Strasbourg became the Compagnie des Chemins de fer de l’Est (EST) that same year.) With this, the extension of the cross-border segment of the Thionville–Luxembourg line seemed secure. Since EST was pursuing the competing project in parallel of a railway towards Belgium circumventing Luxembourg, however, the Grande Compagnie Luxembourgoise turned its back on railway construction in Luxembourg.: 244 

Guillaume-Luxembourg

In this context, M. Daval approached the Luxembourgish government about building three railway lines, which were to lead from Luxembourg to Arlon, Thionville and Trier. Daval had founded a company for this purpose with the banker Adolphe Favier and the engineer Stéphane Jouve. After the Luxembourgish government realised that the Grande Compagnie Luxembourgoise had pulled out, EST was being reluctant due to the competing project via Longwy, and another, Prussian company that had been in talks could not bring up the funds, it started talks with Daval. This resulted in an agreement on 9 November 1855, through which the company was awarded the name of the Dutch King and Grand Duke of Luxembourg William II, as the Société royale Grand-Ducale de Guillaume-Luxembourg (German: Königlich-großherzogliche Wilhelm-Luxemburg-Gesellschaft), also Compagnie Guillaume-Luxembourg or just Guillaume-Luxembourg (GL). While the company paid the deposit, construction did not begin yet. There was then a further contract on 2 March 1857, when French funds had been secured. In the end, the Guillaume-Luxembourg lines were financed exclusively through French capital. The company became embroiled in a financial scandal, and was forced to ask the Luxembourgish government for help.: 247 

It therefore took until 11 August 1859, before the route to Thionville went into operation, as Luxembourg's first railway line. On that same day, a "pleasure train" with 600 passengers travelled to Paris. The same year, on 4 and 5 October, the route to Arlon was opened.: 245 

In the following years until 1867, Guillaume-Luxembourg opened the vast majority of the main lines of Luxembourg's network, which are still operational today.: 245 

Four main lines were built:

  • Luxembourg – BettembourgFrance (11 August 1859)
  • Luxembourg – Kleinbettingen – Belgium (15 September 1859)
  • Luxembourg – Wasserbillig – Germany (29 August 1861)
  • Luxembourg – Ettelbrück (21 July 1862), Ettelbrück – Kautenbach (15 December 1866), Ettelbrück – Diekirch (16 November 1862), Kautenbach – Troisvierges – Belgium (20 February 1867)

Two smaller lines were built to transport the iron ore to the blast furnaces at Dommeldange:

Due to the opposition of the local population, the lines were not laid through villages and vineyards.

Guillaume-Luxembourg was administered until 10 May 1871 by the French Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est. After this, the Prussians, having just won the Franco-Prussian War and subsequently having annexed the Alsace, transferred the French rights into a new Compagnie EL (Reichseisenbahn Elsass-Lothringen).

The law of 7 May 1856 mandated the construction of a new direct railway line to Saarbrücken, without going via Trier. This project, the law notwithstanding, was never executed.

Luxembourg City

On 30 October 1858, the founding stone of the first railway station in Luxembourg City was laid down. The Fortress of Luxembourg was at this point still garrisoned by the Prussian military, and for strategic reasons the railway line could not go into the fortress. Therefore, the new station was built on the Bourbon Plateau outside of the Fortress. The Prussian military authorities demanded that it be built out of wood. The fact that the station was built outside the fortress, 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) away from the city centre, on the other side of the Pétrusse valley, is the reason for the construction of the city's viaduct, the Passerelle and the Adolphe Bridge.

On 4 October 1859, at the celebrations for the first train to depart from Luxembourg, the patriotic song "Feierwon" was sung for the first time on the steps of the town hall. This became the unofficial national anthem.

As part of the celebrations on 4/5 October, the first stone of the Passerelle bridge was laid down.

The first train from the city to Hesperange forest, Prince Henry was a passenger, was pulled by a horse. The track construction from Hesperange to the city had not progressed enough to accommodate a steam locomotive.[citation needed]

Prince-Henri network

CFL type BR 42 locomotive
Luxembourg railway poster

From 1864 several prominent figures put their support behind the idea of constructing a second railway line (Gürtelbahn). These included Eugène Guyot, a Brussels book printer; Simon Philippart, a Brussels banker; and François Majerus, Luxembourgish engineer. It was to go from Wasserbillig, along the Sauer, via Ettelbrück, along the Attert and the Belgian border, via Kleinbettingen to Pétange, where the centre of the new network was to be located. From Pétange it was to go on to Esch-Alzette.

On 19 March 1869, to realise this project, a law created the Compagnie des chemins de fer Prince-Henri. Prince Henry was at the time the Lieutenant-Governor of Luxembourg.

In the spring of 1870, work started in two places: the line Esch-Alzette – Pétange – Steinfort and the line Pétange – Fond-de-Gras. At the same time the line Clemency – Autelbas – Arlon was started.

From 1 August 1873, the first trains ran on the new PH network:

1873–1874: From Diekirch, along the Sauer, a new project was started, the Ettelbrück-Wasserbillig line. 50 km in length, in order to avoid tunnels it went all the way through the Sauer valley up to Wasserbillig. On 20 October 1873 the Diekirch – Echternach line was inaugurated in the presence of Prince Henry, in Echternach. It was only fully functional from 8 December 1873, as there was still some work to be done. On 20 May 1874 the Echternach-Wasserbillig line started work.

In 1874, the double track Pétange – Athus line was built, to create another connection to Belgium.

During 1874–1877, the customers of the ironworks were losing interest in Luxembourgish cast iron. Due to its high phosphorus contents, it was too brittle. Its price fell from 140 to 45 francs per tonne. The first crisis was unavoidable, and 40% of the ironworkers lost their jobs. The Prince-Henri company went bankrupt.

In 1877, the government stepped in and in 1878 formed a new company, along with private investors, the "Société Luxembourgeoise des Minières et Chemins de Fer Prince Henri". Its abbreviation remained "PH".

Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and his cousin Percy Gilchrist invented a new procedure to produce steel from the phosphorus cast iron. This created a boom for Luxembourgish steel-working, and new steelworks and rolling mills sprung up.

The new PH company made efforts to finish construction of their lines. On the Steinfort - Ettelbrück section, the longest tunnel of Luxembourg (700 m) was dug and the line was in use from 20 April 1880.

  • 1880: The first express train Luxembourg – Paris was scheduled and went via Esch-Alzette – Pétange – Athus.
  • 1 June 1881: The Kautenbach – Wiltz, line, built by PH, started service.
  • 30 December 1883: PH opened a Red Lands railway station with two platforms, near Esch-Alzette. The company Cockerill supplied two locomotives to park the carriages.
  • 26 April 1886: The following concessions for narrow-gauge lines were awarded:
    Noerdange - Martelange
    Diekirch - Vianden
  • 27 June 1886: The connection with France via RodangeMont-Saint-MartinLongwy was realised.
  • 1 July 1888: After the Kautenbach – Wilz line (PH) was extended to the Belgian border, where it was connected to the Belgian network, there was now a connection to Bastogne. A disadvantage was that this line was only accessible via the GL network (Ettelbrück – Kautenbach – Troisvierges line). All reserve materials needed in Wiltz, had to be brought in from Pétange.
  • 5 November 1891: The Echternach – Wasserbillig line was extended to Grevenmacher. PH built a station in Wasserbillig with a dining room, waiting rooms and staff accommodation. Since 1987 the building was used as offices by the commune of Mertert.
  • 1895 - 1900: PH made huge profits. In this period, various elaborate buildings were constructed in Pétange: a large rail station, a headquarters, a block of social housing for workers, five villas as accommodation for the director and the engineers. The street where these villas stood (and one still stands) is still named Härewee ("Gentlemen Street"). Other stations on this route were also enlarged.

On 8 August 1900, the new Pétange – Dippach – Luxembourg line opened. This was the point of PH's greatest expansion.

During 1901–1907, air brake, invented by Westinghouse, was introduced in Luxembourg, as with other European railways. The "brakers" could be done away with.

On 4 November 1904, an industrial narrow-gauge line (1.000 mm) started operating from Grundhof to the stone quarries on the hill over Dillingen. In November 1911 it was extended to Beaufort and made accessible to passengers.

At Pétange, a "Machine fixe" was built. Wells were dug, the minerals removed from the water, and the water pumped to a water tower by the station. This water was then used in the steam engines.

The "Prince" in 1904 had about 200 km (120 mi) of railway line (of which 10 km on Belgian territory), 46 steam locomotives (6 of them for narrow-gauge lines), 68 passenger carriages and 24 baggage vans.

In May 1919, PH was made by the state to exploit the vicinal train lines: the Luxembourg – Echternach (Chareli) line and the Bettembourg – Aspelt line.

On 29 May 1927, the railway received competition. The Minette tram of the "Syndicat des Tramways Intercommunaux du Canton d'Esch" (TICE), founded in 1914 by the communes of Esch-Alzette, started service.

From 1929 onwards, profits slowly decreased until 1940.[citation needed]

World War II and aftermath

On 10 May 1940, German troops invaded Luxembourg and confiscated the rail lines for use by the occupying army. In November 1941, Luxembourg was officially annexed by Nazi Germany. The Reichsbahn took over the running of the railways; some employees were subject to dismissal, moved to Germany or imprisoned.

After the liberation of the capital on 10 September 1944, Luxembourgish railways worked to open temporary service. The first trains to run were military transports. The first worker trains resumed service on 5 October 1944, bringing workers via the Attert line to Differdange, to the only steelworks that was still operating, where "Grey-beams" were being rolled, which were urgently needed by the US and for reconstruction.

On 17 April 1946, the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) was founded. The concessions of WL and PH were withdrawn by the law of 16 June 1947. The CFL existed on paper, but the Chamber of Deputies did not ratify the law until 4 June 1947. All Luxembourgish railway lines were given to the CFL for a term of 99 years. The Luxembourgish government owned 51%, and France and Belgium 24,5% each.

On 28 September 1956, the era of the electric railway started, with the electrification of the transit route Kleinbettingen-border – Bettembourg-border via Luxembourg City.

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-23 11:30 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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