It’s 6:40 in the morning, the day in Thionville is just dawning. In the light of the street lamps the dark shapes take shape, advancing with a rapid, almost mechanical step. Every morning, from Monday to Friday, Luxembourg cross-border commuters converge in silence on the platforms of the SNCF station where they are greeted by the excitement of a long day that begins at dawn with crowded platforms.
The regional trains coming from the Lorraine furrow parade and swallow, at each passage, a hundred more passengers, forced to pile up in the clearing rooms last to get on. “It is like this every morning. We travel standing or sitting on the stairs, explains a resident of Hettange-Sœtrich.” Transport conditions are limited but we have no choice. By road it is even worse: it takes 1h30 to Thionville Luxembourg instead of forty minutes by train “, a Yutz frontier worker blows.” Last week, with the works in Luxembourg, it was hell. There were trains canceled on the French side and only one TER from Bettembourg. We were piled up, worse than cattle, on the point to suffocate », continues a resigned Thionvilloise.
“We put ourselves in our bubble”
On the double train from Metz to Luxembourg central station, everyone has their eyes fixed on the phone or a book, headphones very often on their ears. “We put ourselves in our bubble”, smiles a young Luxembourg employee who discovers the life of a commuter. “With the works and the removal of the trains it is complicated”, continues Tervilloise.
Since the summer, the modernization works of the railway infrastructure between Bettembourg and Luxembourg, started in 2018, have gained new momentum and require the closure of the section until 20 November, offset by a bus service. However, from 7 November, all TERs to and from the Lorraine furrow are directed, departing before 9 am and after 4 pm, from Monday to Friday. Outside these times, a train change (line 60) is required in Bettembourg. But as if that weren’t enough, from 2 November work is also underway to renew the tracks on the French side. In reality they have little impact on traffic, except for a slight change in schedules due to the slowdown of trains between Hettange-Grande and Zoufftgen.
“All this work, we’ve been told for years it’s for the best, but we still don’t see anything coming, except it’s getting worse and worse, annoys a regular traveler from Thionville. Everyone talks about working from home as the solution to all problems , but, I repeat, it is a real construction site. “
