Basel Connecting Line

Last updated
Basel Connecting Line
Overview
Native nameVerbindungsbahn
Locale Basel-Stadt, Switzerland and Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Termini Basel SBB
Basel Bad Bf
Technical
Line length4.4 km (2.7 mi)
Number of tracks4 (throughout)
Electrification 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Route map

Contents

BSicon STR.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
0.0
Basel SBB
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon mKRZu.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
1.3
BSicon KRZu.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
2.3
Gellert connecting curve
BSicon STR.svg
from Muttenz marshalling yard, from Brugg and Olten
BSicon mKRZo.svg
Basel Trams
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3.537
Infrastructure border SBB/DB Netze
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
Connecting line bridge (Rhine; 216 m)
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
BSicon ABZg+r.svg
BSicon mKRZo.svg
Basel Trams
BSicon BHF.svg
4.4
Basel Bad Bf
BSicon STR.svg
Rhine Valley Railway to Freiburg im Breisgau
Source: Swiss railway atlas [1]

The Basel Connecting Line (German : Basler Verbindungsbahn ) is a railway line in the Swiss city of Basel and connects Basel Baden station on the right bank of the Rhine and Basel SBB station on the left bank. It is located on Swiss territory.

Most of the German long-distance trains on the Rhine Valley Railway end at Basel SBB station and run along the Connecting Line. Many Regional-Express trains of Deutsche Bahn (from Freiburg) and S-Bahn trains of the SBB GmbH (from Zell) also run over the Connecting Line to Basel SBB.

History

The railway line was authorised by Article 4 of an international agreement of 15 October 1869, concerning the construction and operation of the Gotthard Railway. The building of the Connecting Line was licensed by the Swiss federal government on 14 March 1870. On 3 November 1873 the line was opened, including a one-line bridge over the Rhine. Following an agreement between the then Swiss Central Railway and the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways, the Connecting Line was built as a joint line by both companies. The project was exclusively funded by the Central Railway, which became its owner and it is now owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). Since the railway reform, the rail infrastructure is managed exclusively by the SBB. SBB, Deutsche Bahn and many other companies operate on the line. The property boundary is at the 3.537 km chainage mark (at the north head of the Rhine bridge).

Technology

Phase separation point at the Basel connecting line bridge Phasentrennstelle 4.jpg
Phase separation point at the Basel connecting line bridge

The Basel Connecting Line, including railway Basel Baden station, Basel SBB station and Basel marshalling yard is equipped for Swiss locomotives without special technical equipment and can be used by services from Germany. The line is equipped with the German intermittent cab signalling system (Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung) and the Swiss train protection system (Integra-Signum). Trains runs on the right, unlike elsewhere in the SBB network, in order to avoid the need to switch sides at Basel Baden station. The overhead line can be used by trains with both Swiss and German pantographs (maximum lateral deviation of 200 mm). The border between the overhead electrification systems is at the property boundary.

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Swiss Central Railway

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Swiss Northern Railway Swiss railway line (opened 1847)

The Swiss Northern Railway , informally known as the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn, opened the first railway line within Switzerland in 1847, the Zürich–Baden line. This followed the extension of a French railway to Basel in 1844. The original line generally followed the south bank of the Limmat from Zürich to near its confluence with the Aar near Brugg and then it generally followed the south bank of the Aar to Olten. It was absorbed into the Swiss Northeastern Railway in 1853 and extended from Baden to Brugg in 1858. The line was absorbed into the Swiss Federal Railways on its establishment in 1902. It is electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz and its eastern 16 km section from Zürich to Killwangen-Spreitenbach is now part of the Zürich–Olten trunkline and has four tracks.

Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway Rail line in Germany

The Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway is a double-track electrified mainline railway in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It runs from Mannheim via Heidelberg, Bruchsal, Karlsruhe, Rastatt, Baden-Baden, Offenburg and Freiburg to Basel, Switzerland. It is also known as the Rhine Valley Railway or the Upper Rhine Railway (Oberrheinbahn).

Basel S-Bahn

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The Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway line was opened on 18 August 1859 by the Swiss Northeastern Railway. It runs from Turgi in Switzerland via Koblenz to Waldshut in Germany. The Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut line was the first rail link between Germany and Switzerland. It provides a connection from the Baden–Brugg line in Turgi to the High Rhine Railway in Waldshut.

Waldshut–Koblenz Rhine Bridge

The Waldshut–Koblenz Rhine Bridge is a single-track railway bridge on the Turgi–Koblenz–Waldshut railway, between Waldshut and Koblenz AG, crossing the Rhine and the border between Germany and Switzerland. It was the first railway bridge built over the Rhine below Lake Constance. It is the only major railway bridge over the Rhine, which is completely preserved in its original condition and is one of Europe's few lattice truss bridges. It is also one of the oldest railway bridges in the world.

Konstanz station

Konstanz station is the largest passenger station in the German city of Konstanz (Constance). It is served by regional and long-distance services operated by Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Federal Railways. It is the end of the High Rhine Railway and the beginning of the Lake Line.

Waldshut station

Waldshut station is a railway station in the city of Waldshut-Tiengen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

Schaffhausen railway station

Schaffhausen railway station is a railway station in Schaffhausen, the capital of the Swiss canton of Schaffhausen. The station is jointly owned by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) and Deutsche Bahn (DB), and is served by trains of both national operators, as well as trains of the Swiss regional operator Thurbo.

Weil am Rhein station

Weil am Rhein station is a small railway junction in Weil am Rhein in the German state of Baden-Württemberg on the German-Swiss border. The Weil am Rhein–Lörrach railway branches off the Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway at the station. From 1878 to 1937, the station was the starting point of the Weil am Rhein–Saint-Louis line to the French town of Saint-Louis.

The Karlsruhe–Basel high-speed railway is a new line being built on the route of the Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway. As a result of the project, the railway through the Rhine Valley is being upgraded to four continuous tracks and its operational efficiency will be increased as a result of the segregation of the various transport flows. The travel time for passenger services between Karlsruhe and Basel is to be shortened by 31 minutes. The project forms part of the Rotterdam–Genoa corridor and part of it is also part of the Main line for Europe. In September 2010, it was forecast to be completed in 2020.

Singen (Hohentwiel) station

Singen (Hohentwiel) station is an important regional railway junction and interchange station in the town of Singen in the south of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Three railways now meet there, but in the past five railways connected to it. The station is served by InterCity trains on the Stuttgart–Zurich route.

The Baden–Aarau railway line is a railway line in the north of Switzerland. It runs from Baden via Turgi, Brugg AG and Wildegg to Aarau.

References

Footnotes

  1. Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz[Swiss railway atlas]. Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 62. ISBN   978-3-89494-130-7.

Sources