Deutsche Bahn freight line work has begun in south-western Germany, marking a major step in the Rhine Valley Railway expansion. The project is intended to add capacity on a busy European north–south rail axis while easing pressure on the existing route.

Deutsche Bahn freight line expands Rhine capacity
Photo: Deutsche Bahn

Deutsche Bahn freight line and the Rhine corridor

The new alignment, as set out in Deutsche Bahn’s official project statement, will follow the A5 motorway corridor between Offenburg and Müllheim in the Markgräflerland area, passing Freiburg. It is part of the broader Karlsruhe–Basel route and also supports the Rotterdam–Genoa freight corridor, which connects major ports in the Netherlands with northern Italy.

Together with the existing Rhine Valley Railway, the expansion will provide four tracks on parts of the corridor, compared with the two in use today. Freight services are expected to be shifted gradually onto the new alignment. That should leave more room on the current line for regional and long-distance passenger trains.

Freiburg noise reduction becomes a central goal

For Freiburg and nearby communities, a key operational change is the planned diversion of freight traffic away from the area. Deutsche Bahn estimates that around 50,000 freight trains per year could no longer pass through the city and its surroundings. The company expects the shift to reduce railway noise along the affected section.

The project is being delivered by Deutsche Bahn together with the German federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg. A symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the first construction phase took place near Reute on 29 May 2026.

Dr Philipp Nagl, chief executive of DB InfraGO, said the start of construction opens a new chapter in the expansion of the Rhine Valley Railway. He described the route as one of Europe’s most important transport arteries. In his statement, he said the project would create more space for growing freight traffic, strengthen passenger services and reduce rail noise for local residents.

Karlsruhe–Basel route gains more freight capacity

The new freight railway will be more than 90 kilometres long in total. Initial works are concentrated on an 11-kilometre section between Riegel and March. Riegel am Kaiserstuhl and March are located within this first construction segment.

Deutsche Bahn expects work on this section to take around six years. A completion date for the full line has not yet been announced, as planning approval is still needed for the remaining sections. The Deutsche Bahn BauInfoPortal page for Karlsruhe–Basel presents the wider corridor as one of the central rail expansion projects on this axis.

The upgrade is intended to support future freight growth on the Karlsruhe–Basel axis. It will also improve the operational separation of freight and passenger traffic along the Rhine corridor, making the route easier to manage as demand increases.

In an official Deutsche Bahn factsheet on the Rhine Valley freight route, the company outlines the first construction section between Riegel and March as part of the broader freight bypass around Freiburg. Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder said the groundbreaking visibly advances one of Europe’s most important railway projects. He said the new freight line in the Rhine Valley strengthens the Rotterdam–Genoa corridor, creates more capacity for rail freight transport and frees up space on the Rhine Valley Railway for additional local transport connections.

At the same time, he said it would reduce noise pollution in Freiburg and nearby communities, while supporting the economy, climate protection, passengers and local residents.