Région Grand Est deployed 16 Z26500 double-deck EMUs on the Sillon Lorrain to Luxembourg and launched Regiolis France–Germany (TFA) multiple units between Strasbourg and Offenburg.
On the Luxembourg axis, the region acquired 16 five-car Alstom Coradia Duples (Z26500) EMUs from Région Normandie for EUR 118m. Each train provides 554 seats, compared with 313 seats on the three-car units previously in use. Around 12,000 passengers travel daily between Lorraine and Luxembourg, where up to eight trains per hour and per direction operate between Thionville and the border, including TER, TGV and freight services.
The additional capacity is scheduled to raise peak-hour seating on the corridor to around 13,000 seats by late 2026 to early 2027, an increase of approximately 50%. Since autumn 2025, selected peak services, including the 17:16 departure from Luxembourg, have operated in triple formation, offering around 1,000 seats on that train.
In parallel, Grand Est has launched cross-border CAF Regiolis TFA EMUs on the Strasbourg–Offenburg route in cooperation with Baden-Württemberg. The trains are equipped to meet both French and German technical requirements, including signalling, traction power and safety systems.
Each Regiolis TFA unit offers 203 seats and 18 bicycle spaces, compared with 82 seats and four bicycle spaces previously available. Total capacity is 315 passengers seated and standing.
The region invested EUR 388m in the acquisition of the Regiolis fleet, including EUR 40m for development of the cross-border configuration, co-financed at 50% by the German Länder. The project also received EUR 6.2m in European funding under the Interreg V Upper Rhine (ERDF) programme.
