Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway

Rhine Valley Railway
Overview
Native name	Rheintalbahn
Locale	Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Termini	Mannheim Hbf Basel Bad
Line number	4002 (Mannheim–Heidelberg) 4000 (Heidelberg–Karlsruhe) 4280 (Karlsruhe–Basel)
Technical
Line length	270.7 km (168.2 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Operating speed	250 km/h (160 mph) (max)
Route number	665 (Mannheim–Heidelberg) 701 (Heidelberg–Karlsruhe) 702 (Karlsruhe–Basel)

Route map
Legend
Palatine Ludwig Railway from Ludwigshafen S 1S 2S 3S 4 (RheinNeckar) Riedbahn from Frankfurt via MA-Luzenberg 0.0 Mannheim Hbf 95 m Rhine Railway from Karlsruhe Riedbahn to Frankfurt via MA-Käfertal HSL from Stuttgart (Container terminal bridge) 4.0 Mannheim Rbf Hp 4.3 Mannheim ARENA/Maimarkt 95 m Mannheim marshalling yard 6.1 Mannheim-Seckenheim 96 m 8.5 Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld Süd junction To Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld and Frankfurt via the Main-Neckar line Schwetzingen–Mannheim line 9.0 Mannheim-Friedrichsfeld Süd 102 m Main-Neckar line from Darmstadt 14.5 Heidelberg-Wieblingen (junction) (flying junction) A 5 14.8 Heidelberg-Pfaffengrund/Wieblingen108 m to Heidelberg Hbf (old) 16.6 Heidelberg marshalling yard 17.5 19.1 Heidelberg Hbf 107 m to Heidelberger Hbf (old) Neckar Valley line to Jagstfeld S 1S 2S 5 from Heidelberger Hbf (old) Former route from Heidelberg Hbf (old) 22.1 Heidelberg-Kirchheim/Rohrbach 107 m 26.5 St Ilgen-Sandhausen 106 m 32.1 Wiesloch-Walldorf 111 m 37.5 Rot-Malsch 106 m 40.1 Bad Schönborn-Kronau 108 m 42.4 Bad Schönborn-Süd 109 m 44.185 Stettfeld-Weiher(from Dec 2019) 46.2 Ubstadt-Weiher 110 m 46.6 Ubstadt-Weiher(junction) Connecting line to Bruchsal Rollenberg Katzbach Railway from Odenheim S 31 and Kraich Valley Railway from Menzingen S 32 Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway Connecting line from Bruchsal Rollenberg 49.6 Bruchsal Nord(junction) Bruchsal Stegwiesen 111 m Bruchsal Schloßgarten 113 m Bruhrain Railway from Graben-Neudorf S 33 51.6 Bruchsalterminus of S 33S 4/S 9 114 m Western Railway to Stuttgart S 9 53.6 Bruchsal Bildungszentrum 111 m 55.9 Untergrombach crossover 56.8 Untergrombach 115 m 60.5 Weingarten (Baden) 115 m Karlsruhe Stadtbahn S 4S 5 From Pforzheim 68.2 Karlsruhe-Durlach 116 m to Karlsruhe freight yard Karlsruhe-Hagsfeld–Karlsruhe freight yard line Former route of the Rhine Valley Line Rhine Railway Mannheim former connection from Ausbesserungswerk (until 199x) Karlsruhe freight yard (old)(until 199x) Karlsruhe Hbf(until 1913) former route of the Hardt Railway, Maxau Railway 72.9 Karlsruhe Hbfterminus of S 3 121 m Alb Valley Railway S 1S 11 (former route of the Rhine Valley Line until 1913) from Karlsruhe Albtalbf (where system changes) Palatine Maximilian Railway to Wörth Rhine Railway to Rastatt Karlsruhe West–Karlsruhe Rbf freight line Karlsruhe-Dammerstock–Karlsruhe Rbf freight line freight line from Karlsruhe Rbf (marshalling yard) Rüppurr(until 1913) 76.2 Karlsruhe-Brunnenstück(junction) (former route of the Rhine Valley line until 1913) 76,4 77,4 Km change as a result of route shortening) 79.6 Ettlingen West 121 m Ettlingen branch line to Alb Valley Railway 82.5 Bruchhausen 118 m 87.9 Malsch 120 m 88.5 Malsch Süd 120 m 91.7 Muggensturm 123 m Rastatt Tunnel from Karlsruhe (planned) Rhine Railway from Karlsruhe S 4S 41 96.5 Rastatt 120 m Murg Valley Railway to Freudenstadt S 31S 41 Former route of Rhine Railway to Haguenau Rastatt Tunnel (south portal, planned) A 5 101.3 Rastatt Süd junction(current start of parallel HSL) 102.6 Baden-Baden-Haueneberstein 103.2 Sandweier crossover 105.3 Baden-Baden 126 m Former line from old Baden station 108.3 Sinzheim Nord 127 m 109.5 Sinzheim (b. Bühl) 126 m 112.5 Baden-Baden-Rebland 133 m 116.9 Bühl (Baden) 135 m 119.2 Ottersweier 125.3 AchernTerminus of S 4S 32 145 m Acher Valley Railway to Ottenhöfen 127.7 Önsbach 128.4 Önsbach crossover 131.7 Renchen 144 m To Strasbourg Rench Valley Railway from Bad Griesbach 137.9 Appenweier 147 m 138.7 Appenweier-Muhrhaag junctionfrom Strasbourg 141.0 Windschläg junctionto Offenburg freight yard 141.7 Offenburg Nord junction 145.5 Offenburg 159 m 146.1 Offenburg SüdCurrent end of the HSL Black Forest Railway to Singen former bypass curve from the Black Forest Railway 148.3 SchutterwaldSchutterwald 154.4 Niederschopfheim 153 m 158.7 Friesenheim (Baden) 155 m 163.7 Lahr(Schwarzwald) 161 m former railway to Lahr town 166.1 Kippenheim 171.8 Orschweier 166 m former Rhine–Ettenheimmünster Local Railway 174.8 Ringsheim 169 m 177.7 Herbolzheim (Brsg) 172 m 181.0 Kenzingen 175 m Kaiserstuhl Railway from Breisach 185.9 Riegel-Malterdingen 180 m HSL will have a separate alignment from here 188.8 Köndringen(crossover) 188.8 Köndringen 187 m 190.6 Teningen-Mundingen 194 m 192.7 Emmendingen 201 m 196.5 Kollmarsreute 221 m Elz Valley Railway from Elzach 199.8 Denzlingen 235 m 202.6 Gundelfingen (Breisgau) 241 m 202.7 Gundelfingen junction Freight bypass railway to Freiburg Gbf 205.0 Freiburg-Zähringen 253 m 207.0 Freiburg-Herdern 264 m Line from Breisach 208.3 Freiburg (Breisgau) Hbf 269 m Höllentalbahn to Donaueschingen 212.5 Freiburg-St. Georgen 253 m Freight bypass railway from Freiburg Gbf 214.6 Leutersberg(junction) 215.7 Ebringen 239 m 217.0 Schallstadt 235 m 219.9 Norsingen 230 m Münster Valley Railway from Münstertal 222.9 Bad Krozingen 231 m 224.1 Tunsel Eschbach-Tunsel(planned) 228.8 Heitersheim 226 m Flying junction (planned) End of separate HSL alignment 231.8 Buggingen 223 m 232.8 Hügelheim 237.3 Müllheim (Baden) 233 m former level crossing of Müllheim–Badenweiler railway (metre gauge) Line to Mülhausen 239.7 Auggen 233 m 239.7 Auggen(siding) 242.7 Schliengen(junction) HSL has a separate course 243.2 243.2Schliengen Portal extension to reduce tunnel boom 245.4 Start of Katzenberg Tunnel (9,385 m) 246.8 Bad Bellingen 254 m 250.0 Rheinweiler257 m 252.8 Kleinkems 258 m 255.3 Klotz Tunnel (242 m) 256.0 Kirchberg Tunnel (129 m) 256.4 Istein 258 m 256.8 Hartberg Tunnel (307 m) 254.8 End of Katzenberg Tunnel (9.385 m) 258.3 Efringen-Kirchen 258 m 262.2 Eimeldingen 266 m 259.2 262.8 End of separate HSL alignment Kander Valley Railway from Kandern (Heritage railway) 264,3 265,3 Haltingen 269 m Former railway from Saint-Louis (1878–1937) 267.6 Weil am RheinTerminus of S 5 (Basel) 261 m Garden Railway to Lörrach S 5 267.6 German/Swiss border 270.7 Basel Bad BfTerminus of S 6 261 m Basel Trams Wiese Valley Railway to Zell S 6 Connecting line to Basel SBB and Olten Upper Rhine Railway to Konstanz
Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway, also known as the Rhine Valley Line (German: Rheintalbahn), is a railway line that runs from Mannheim, Germany, via Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, and Freiburg to Basel, Switzerland. It is part of the Baden Mainline (Badische Hauptbahn).

History

The line was financed and built by the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway (Großherzogliche Badische Staatsbahn). The first section between Mannheim and Heidelberg was opened in 1840, and it was completed in several sections to Basel in 1855.

The line was originally built to 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), but since the surrounding countries built their railways to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard gauge, the line was converted to standard gauge between 1854 and 1855.

Since Schwetzingen and Hockenheim missed by the line through Heidelberg, another line was opened in 1870 on the Mannheim–Schwetzingen–Graben–Eggenstein–Karlsruhe route. A shorter and more direct line from Graben to Karlsruhe via Blankenloch was added in 1895 as a strategic railway. This converted the Karlsruhe–Eggenstein–Graben section of the old line into a branch line, now known as the Hardt Railway and partly incorporated into the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn.

Bad Schönborn-Kronau station

In the northern section between Mannheim and Karlsruhe there are two different lines, the Mannheim–Graben-Neudorf–Karlsruhe line (the Baden Mainline as such) as well as the Mannheim–Heidelberg–Bruchsal–Durlach–Karlsruhe line (the Baden-Kurpfalz Railway). Particularly after World War I it became a major line for international traffic. Beginning in the 1950s,the Rhine Valley line was progressively electrified, with the whole line fully electrified by the middle of 1958.

Under a German-Swiss convention, the entire line was supposed to be converted to at least four lines by 2008, so that it can serve as the main northern approach route to the new Gotthard Base Tunnel line to Italy. Deutsche Bahn is building a high-speed line for this project from Karlsruhe to Basel, including new and upgraded sections.

Between Karlsruhe and Rastatt two lines run relatively near each other, effectively providing four tracks. The double-track section between Rastatt station and Rastatt-Niederbühl is to be widened to four lines, probably by the construction of a parallel tunnel. Between Rastatt Niederbühl and Offenburg two new high-speed tracks have been completed next to the old double-track line. A new section of line from Schliengen to Haltingen between Freiburg and Basel, including the 9385 metre-long Katzenberg Tunnel, was opened on 9 December 2012 to avoid a narrow, winding section between the Rhine and the Isteiner Klotz hills.^[2] The remaining sections between Offenburg, Freiburg and the Katzenberg Tunnel are still being planned.

Operations

Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn train between Mannheim and Heidelberg

The Rhine Valley line is today one of the most important lines of Germany both for passenger and goods traffic, including international traffic to and from Switzerland and France. The main railway stations are Mannheim, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Offenburg, Freiburg and Basel Bad. Other stations are Baden-Baden, Rastatt and Bruchsal.

Since December 2003, line S3 of the Rhein-Neckar S-Bahn has operated on the Mannheim–Karlsruhe section of line and S4 (Speyer–Bruchsal) on the (Speyer–Karlsruhe) section. Lines S31, S32, S4 and S41 of the Stadtbahn Karlsruhe operate between Bruchsal and Achern.

At each end of the line are two of the largest marshalling yards in Europe: Mannheim marshalling yard and Basel SBB marshalling yard in Muttenz. The other marshalling yards of this line in Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Offenburg, Freiburg im Breisgau and Basel Badischer Bahnhof have been closed.

Karlsruhe–Basel high speed line

On 21 January 1987 the Federal Minister of Transport Werner Dollinger wrote to Deutsche Bundesbahn agreeing to the construction of a new line from Karlsruhe to Offenburg and Basel as part of the 1985 federal transport plan. The cost was estimated at the time to be about 2.3 billion D Mark and building should have begun by the end of 1987. Once finished, travel time between Hamburg and Basel was expected to be reduced by over two hours to five and a half hours. The maximum speed between Karlsruhe and Offenburg would have been 250 km/h and 200 km/h between Offenburg and Basel.^[3]

In March 1993 the first section between Bühl and Achern (9 km) was put into service.^[4]

The current plan of the project manager, DB ProjektBau, is the continued development of the line as the Neu- und Ausbaustrecke Karlsruhe–Basel (i.e. a mixture of new high-speed line and upgraded line). This line forms the most important northern access route to the Swiss AlpTransit project and is therefore part of a bilateral convention for an increase in the efficiency in rail transport between Switzerland and Germany.

Between Appenweier and Karlsruhe the line is also part of the Magistrale for Europe from Paris to Budapest, which is supported by the European Union as part of its Trans-European Networks.

The federal transport plan forecast that there would be 38 long-distance trains daily each way on the Offenburg–Basel section. It forecast that there would be 137 daily goods trains running from north to south and 147 daily goods trains running from south to north.^[5]

Construction arrangements

The project is arranged into nine sections:

• Section 1: Karlsruhe–Rastatt-Süd (km 60.66–100.87): 24.3 km, including the 4270 metre-long Rastatt Tunnel, which will pass under the whole of the town of Rastatt and the Federbach-Niederung river. This section has planning approval. At the end of February 2012 a notice concerning the tender of the construction contract was published. The estimated contract value is €808 million.^[6] The tender process began on 2 June 2012.^[7] Construction began in 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2022.^[8]
• Section 2: Rastatt-Süd–Sinzheim (km 100.87–114.37): 13.5 km (open)
• Section 3: Bühl–Ottersweier (km 114.37–121.75): 7.4 km (open)
• Section 4: Achern–Sasbach (km 121.75–130.53): 7.8 km (open)
• Section 5: Renchen–Appenweier (km 130.52–140.16): 9.6 km (open)
• Section 6: Appenweier–Offenburg (km 140.16–145.48): 5.3 km (open)
• Section 7: Offenburg–Herbolzheim (km 145.48–178.00): 32.6 km (planned)
  • Section 7.1: Offenburg Süd–Hohberg (about 8.7 km): the proposal is to build new tracks for 250 km/h close to current line,^[9] in the summer of 2008 46,000 private objections were received^[10] and the planning process has not been completed.
  • Section 7.2: Hohberg–Friesenheim (km 154.200 to 161.200): the proposal is to build new tracks for 250 km/h close to current line and Friesenheim station is to be rebuilt. The planning process is not complete.
  • Section 7.3: Lahr–Mahlberg (km 161–172): the proposal is to build new tracks for 250 km/h on the western side of the current line.^[11] Planning approval was received in 2011.
  • Section 7.4: Ettenheim–Herbolzheim (km 172.1–178.0): the proposal is to build new tracks for 250 km/h on the western side of the current line, including the rebuilding of Ringsheim and Herbolzheim stations. The planning process is not complete.
• Section 8: Kenzingen–Heitersheim (km 178.00–222.40): 44.4 km (planned), this involves a bypass for freight trains to the west of Freiburg, generally along the A 5 autobahn, including the Mengen Tunnel (1,956 m), designed for 160 km/h. Passenger trains will run on the current route through Freiburg. The planning process is not complete.
• Section 9: Buggingen–Basel (km 222.40–271.61): 37.4 km (under construction):
  • Section 9.0: Buggingen–Auggen: planning process is not complete.

Katzenberg Tunnel shell during construction

• • Section 9.1: Auggen–Haltingen this 21 km-long section, including the 9.4 km-long Katzenberg tunnel, was put in service in December 2012.^[2]
  • Section 9.2: Haltingen-Weil am Rhein, planning approval for this 5 km-long section on the northern edge of Basel was achieved in 2010^[12] and construction has started.
  • Section 9.3: Basel, planning process has not been completed.

The line between Rastatt south and Offenburg has a speed limit of 250 km/h. This speed limit will also apply to the sections of new line between Offenburg and Kenzingen and between Buggingen and Basel. Although new lines in Germany are now planned to allow running at 300 km/h, the uncompleted sections of the Karlsruhe–Basel lines are continuing to be built on alignments suitable for 250 km/h running because little saving of time would be achieved with higher speeds.^[5]

Time frame

Originally the project was to have been completed in 2008, in accordance with an agreement with Switzerland. By 12 December 2004, sections 2-6, from Rastatt-Süd to Offenburg, were complete, and other sections were under construction, notably the Katzenberg tunnel. The remaining sections were still in the planning phase. With Federal Budget cuts the project will now not be completed until 2020.^[13] The Federal Government has indicated that it intends to make funds available for further sections as planning approvals are achieved.^[5]

Cost and finances

According to unofficial estimates the cost of the project is about €4.6 billion.^[14] In 2006 about €108 million was invested in it.^[15]

Notes

References

• Röth, Helmut (2006). Auf Schienen zwischen Odenwald und Pfalz. Fotografien 1955-1976. [By rail between the Odenwald and Palatine. Photography 1955–1976] (in German). Ludwigshafen am Rhein: Verlag Pro Message. p. 168. ISBN 3-934845-18-5. 

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  S32 of the Karlsruhe Stadtbahn in Bruchsal station

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  Train passing through Untergrombach

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  Karlsruher Stadtbahn in Untergrombach

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  Karlsruhe-Durlach station

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  Karlsruhe station hall

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  Stadtbahn in Karlsruhe Hbf

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  Basel Baden station

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  Neulußheim station

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