DB completes six-track-bundle upgrade in Basel

The line between Basel and Karlsruhe is one of the main bottlenecks for rail freight along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor. Now, some improvements are expected as the track expansion at the Basel-Weil am Rhein was commissioned by Deutsche Bahn (DB) on 29 April 2024.

In total, a bundle of six new tracks was built parallel to the existing Rhine Valley Railway. “Four will now be used for customs clearance and the locomotive – and personnel changes for freight trains”, DB said. The remaining two will be used as through tracks (Durchfahrtsgleise) for freight trains. These tracks are intended to allow the passage of trains that do not need to stop at the station.

The new tracks will be connected to the Badischer Bahnhof station in Basel via a temporary siding. Moreover, “from 2028, the two through tracks will run over the bridge over the Wiese River, which is currently still under construction”, DB added. This initiative will enable DB to turn the German station of Weil am Rhein into a facility solely for passenger services and transit of freight trains. Other than the six-track bundle, which runs for 12 kilometres, DB also renovated the rail bridge crossing Neuhausstrasse in Basel. More specifically, two new noise barriers, for a total length of 780 metres, were implemented.

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