Better late than never. This old saying aptly fits the German Federal Railways' plans to upgrade the route along the Rhine Valley, particularly the border section involving Basel, one of Europe's main crossroads straddling Germany and Switzerland. Despite the entire rail track between Basel and Karlsruhe representing a major bottleneck for freight transport, the enhancement efforts, carried out in stages without any rush, are far from complete.
This is despite the commitment to expand the entire 180-kilometer stretch between Karlsruhe and Basel to four tracks, which was outlined in an agreement back in 1996 in anticipation of the new transalpine railway project, Alptransit. Switzerland has punctually completed its part of the project with the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016 and the Ceneri Base Tunnel in 2020.
Only now has Germany decided to invest in upgrading the capacity of the most important border point between the railways of the two countries. The enhancement works, partly completed and still ongoing, promoted by DB, focus on the section between Weil am Rhein and Basel. This German town, located along the eastern bank of the Rhine, is close to the meeting point of the German, French, and Swiss borders and has always been the main gateway for freight railways.
The new configuration of the junction is based on six new tracks parallel to the Rhine Valley line, four of which are intended for various border operations and the changing of train crew personnel, while the other two are reserved for freight train transit. The new 12-kilometer track bundle is connected to the Basel Badischer Bahnhof node via a provisional but fully functional connection. Upon completion of the work, expected by 2028, the two transit tracks will cross the Wiese River via a dedicated bridge. The first phase of the intervention also involves the railway bridge over one of Basel's main roads, Neuhausstrasse, to adapt it to new needs. The Weil am Rhein yard thus becomes a transit point for freight trains, eliminating the current bottleneck.
Several sections are still missing to complete the four-track route along the Basel-Karlsruhe line. This line was the site of the well-known incident in Rastatt on August 12, 2017, when the collapse of a tunnel under construction led to the railway's closure for 51 days, completely blocking north-south relations along the Rhine Valley and causing economic damage estimated at at least two billion euros.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
