Electrification Luxembourg railway

50 years of electrification of the Luxembourg railway

In creating this series of postage stamps, Luxembourg Post, the Railway company of Luxembourg (CFL), and the Society of railway stamp collectors commemorate the 50th anniversary of electrification of the Luxembourg railway network.
With this stamp issue the post honors an historical event, which has revolutionized transportation for travelers as well as merchandise in Luxembourg.

Electrification of the railway network

It all began in October 1949 when the Minister of Transportation, M. Victor Bodson, tasked the Directors of the CFL to prepare a report on the electrification of its network as an alternative to steam power which was considered to be too expensive. Presented on 5 April 1950, this report can be considered to be the theoretical basis of the future electrification of the CFL network.
The project planned the electrification of the industrial corridor from Rodange to Wasserbillig via Esch-Bettembourg-Syren-Oetrange as a link between France and Germany and was submitted for the first time to the Board of Directors of the CFL on 28 September 1953.
However, to make available to the European iron & steel and mining industries a powerful north-south line between Antwerp-Luxembourg-Basel and Italy, it was the transit line Kleinbettingen-Luxembourg-Bettembourg that was first electrified.

Completed in 1993

The inauguration took place on 29 September 1956 in the presence of Grand Duchess Charlotte. Movement of the trains was made possible by locomotives of SNCB and SNCF. It was not until 1958 that the CFL had, just like our French neighbors, electric locomotives travelling under the 25,000-volt power line. Gradually, the other lines were electrified. It was not until 10 September 1993, when the Kautenbach-Troisvierges line was electrified, that the national network was entirely electrified.
In the last few years, the CFL has worked hard to modernize its lines and rolling stock with, in 2005, the acquisition of 12 25,000-volt, two-level railcars and of 20 two-current 25000 Volts/ 15000 Volts electrical block locomotives that can travel on the CFL, SNCF and DB networks.

Stamps in detail

Issue: Luxembourg, 14 March 2006
Print: offset by Cartor Security Printing in La Loupe
Stamp sizes: 38 x 29,07 mm

More information

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