Germany is constructing a new freight rail line in the Rhine Valley as Deutsche Bahn (DB) builds two additional tracks to increase rail freight capacity between Offenburg and Müllheim im Markgräflerland.
Philipp Nagl, Chairman of the Management Board of DB InfraGO, along with Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder and Baden-Württemberg Transport Minister Nicole Razavi, officially launched construction works near the municipality of Reute.
“Construction of the new freight line marks the beginning of a new chapter in the development of the Rheintalbahn, one of Europe’s most important transport corridors. We are creating more capacity for growing freight traffic, strengthening passenger services at the same time, and significantly reducing noise for local communities,” said a representative of DB InfraGO.
The new freight line has a total length of more than 90 km. The first section, between Riegel and March, is 11 km long, with construction expected to take around six years. The exact commissioning date for the entire line will be confirmed once all permitting procedures for the different sections are completed.
A major project on the Rotterdam–Genoa European corridor
Freight trains will be rerouted around Freiburg, freeing up capacity for regional, commuter and long-distance passenger services on the Rheintalbahn. The project forms part of the strategic Karlsruhe–Basel rail connection and the European freight corridor Rotterdam–Genoa.
Together with the existing Rheintalbahn, there will be four tracks instead of two, enabling a significantly higher number of train movements.
DB will shift freight traffic onto the new infrastructure, creating additional capacity for passenger services and improving operational stability on the Rheintalbahn. At the same time, around 50,000 freight trains per year will no longer pass through Freiburg and surrounding communities, significantly reducing noise levels.
“Through this inauguration we are making visible progress on one of Europe’s most important rail projects. The Rhine Valley freight line strengthens the Rotterdam–Genoa corridor, increases rail freight capacity, and frees up space on the Rheintalbahn for more passenger services. At the same time, we are significantly reducing noise for Freiburg and surrounding areas,” said Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder.
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