A new line reserved for freight trains is being built between Offenburg and Müllheim, in southeastern Germany. The roughly 90-kilometre section, which Deutsche Bahn (DB) said should be ready in six years, will provide two additional tracks along the two already existing.
“Freight trains will bypass Freiburg, freeing up space for additional local and long-distance services on the Rhine Valley Railway”, DB said. The groundbreaking ceremony for the stretch between Riegel and March, attended by the CEO of DB InfraGO and the ministers of transport of Germany and Baden-Wüttemberg, took place on Friday 29 May.
The Offenburg-Müllheim axis is part of the Rhine-Alpine Corridor, one of Europe’s most important transport arteries connecting Rotterdam to Genoa which is in need of additional freight capacity. The future line will enable more freight trains travelling towards the Gotthard Base Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy and use the tunnel at full capacity.
Germany’s railway overhaul
Since this will be a new double track line running somewhat parallel to an already existing one, traffic should not be significantly disrupted. However, this is more the exception rather than the rule these days in Germany, which launched a massive railway renovation plan that will last well into the 2030s. This is posing significant challenges to the rail freight sector throughout Europe, with re-routing options not always available and costs rising significantly.
Currently, Hamburg and its port, one of the largest in Europe, have been facing the most disruptions. The renovation of the Hamburg-Berlin line, started in July 2025, is taking a little longer than DB predicted. At the same time, other construction projects in the Hamburg area kicked off, blocking lines that were initially designed as diversion routes during the Hamburg-Berlin works.
