Line 80 is a Luxembourgian railway line connecting Rodange to Belgium. It is designated Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois, but predominantly operated by NMBS/SNCB. The services overlap with those designated as Line 70. On the Belgian side of the border the routes are numbered in the NMBS/SNCB series. [1]
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the three official capitals of the European Union and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU. Its culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and German cultures, as evident by the nation's three official languages: French, German, and the national language, Luxembourgish. The repeated invasions by Germany, especially in World War II, resulted in the country's strong will for mediation between France and Germany and, among other things, led to the foundation of the European Union.
Rodange is a town in the commune of Pétange, in south-western Luxembourg. It lies next to the border with Belgium, across which is the town of Athus. The town is to the south-west of the town of Pétange and to the west of the smaller town of Lamadelaine. As of 2010, Rodange has a population of 5,505, making it the 18th-most populous town in Luxembourg.
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,688 square kilometres (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.4 million. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège.
- Line 165 Libramont - Virton - Y Aubange - Athus
- Line 165/1 Y Aubange - Frontière RFNL (Rodange)
- Line 167 (Arlon) - Y. Autelbas - Athus - Frontière RFNL (Rodange)
The routes are all electrified at 25 kV using OHL [1] cf NMBS/SNCB's normal 3 kV DC OHL. This requires NMBS/SNCB to use Class 41xx DMUs.
A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electric railways use electric locomotives to haul passengers or freight in separate cars or electric multiple units, passenger cars with their own motors. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations, transmitted to the railway network and distributed to the trains. Some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines but most purchase power from an electric utility. The railway usually provides its own distribution lines, switches and transformers.
The following passenger services operate on the line, as of 2019:
- Arlon - MeAthus - Aubange - Virton - Libramont hourly on weekdays by SNCB/NMBS
- Luxembourg - Rodange - Athus 2 trains per hour every day (reduced on Sunday) by CFL
- Virton - Halanzy - Aubange - Rodange 2 pairs of trains in rush hours to connect to Longwy - Luxembourg services
