Basel eliminating bottleneck

In autumn 2022, preparatory works started on the elimination of the last, 350 m long single track bottleneck in Binningen on Basel's interurban Birsigtalbahn to Flüh and Rodersdorf with the ambitious double-tracking between Binningen Schloss and Binningen Bottmingermühle costing CHF 37.5 million and scheduled to last until 2026. 

 

As part of extensive engineering measures expected to last from autumn 2023 to late 2024, all trams will need to make use of a temporary single track laid out on the street pavement of the busy Bottmingerstrasse in the town of Binningen. 

 

In order to have enough space for the second track to be placed in the built-up village setting, a whole row of old houses had to be acquired and then demolished in early 2023 through the application of railway laws. 

 

On 20 November BLT trams on lines 10 and 17 started to use newly-installed temporary tracks in Binningen. Once the Binningen project is completed, the Birsigtalbahn will benefit from significantly greater operational flexibility and timetable resilience. 

 

The Bisigtalbahn is part of the network of interurban trams operated by Baselland Transport (BLT), a Swiss public transport operator owned by the Canton of Basel-land since 1974, with 100 trams and 64 buses. The trams access the central area of Basel over the tracks of the city-owned Basler Vekehrs-Betriebe (BVB) and there is an integrated fare system.