Mrs. Astrid Siemes-Knoblich, mayor of the city of Müllheim, explains the importance of the project for the whole region
© KREBS+KIEFER

Symbolic start of construction in planning approval section 9.0 of the extended and newly built Karlsruhe - Basel line

On 02.07.2019, the symbolic start of construction work in the planning approval section 9.0 (Müllheim-Auggen) of the upgraded and newly built Karlsruhe - Basel line took place.

On 02.07.2019, the symbolic start of construction work in the planning approval section 9.0 (Müllheim-Auggen) of the upgraded and newly built Karlsruhe - Basel line took place.

In this approx. six-kilometre-long construction section, in addition to the existing double-track upgraded line of the Rheintalbahn (DB line 4000), the new construction (DB line 4280) as a line for fast passenger traffic with a maximum speed of 250 km/h is also to be built on two tracks. To achieve this goal, the demolition and new construction of several structures is necessary. In the above-mentioned section, these are the railway overpass over the Hügelheimer Runs with the directly adjacent bat overpass, the railway overpass over the animal passage, and the two road bridges Kleinfeldele and Fischerpfad over the two DB lines. Furthermore, a new construction of the Müllheim railway station and the Auggen stop is planned.

Mrs. Astrid Siemes-Knoblich, Mayor of the city of Müllheim, spoke about the great importance of the project for the city as well as for the whole region. This construction measure will lead to a densification of the S-Bahn traffic, so that the connection to the two centres Freiburg and Basel will be considerably improved. Many commuters will benefit significantly and a contribution will also be made to environmental protection. Mr. Philipp Langefeld, head of the major project Karlsruhe - Basel, pointed out the importance of this major project on the way to the realisation of the Magistrale Rotterdam - Genoa. He further emphasized that the work in this section has already begun and that the construction project will cost 385 million euros and will be completed by 2022.

The structures mentioned are two prestressed concrete bridges, one integral prestressed concrete frame, and a double- and a single-strut reinforced concrete frame. Extensive provisional constructions with auxiliary bridges are also necessary to maintain rail traffic during the construction period with minimal stoppages. A significant contribution to the success of this construction measure is made by the construction engineering inspection in conjunction with random monitoring of the execution. This will be carried out by Dr.-Ing. Ioannis Retzepis, managing partner of KREBS+KIEFER Karlsruhe and expert for structural inspection in railway construction.