Rastatt Closure 2024 - New Concept

A European first - Unconvential solution for Rastatt closure will start tomorrow.

Due to construction work, a late effect of the tunnel collapse in 2017, the Rhine Valley line will be closed for 21 days in August 2024 at Rastatt. This closure coincides with the Riedbahn closure further North, the first part of the project of the “German high-performance network”.

As part of RFC Rhine-Alpine, both routes are vital for freight traffic on the Rotterdam - Genoa axis, and re-routing all freight trains via existing lines on a purely national level is proving difficult, due to the high number of freight trains affected.

Therefore, back in 2022, an initiative was started by the Railway undertakings Advisory Group (RAG) of RFC Rhine-Alpine to have additional capacity available. With the support of the Management Board and Executive Board of the Corridor, the project was launched. After two years of planning and discussing potential solutions, the Alsace re-routing was identified as a possibility to re-route P400 trains. The concept includes a bypass of the closure by using a parallel line (Wörth-Lauterbourg-Strasbourg) in Alsace that is not yet electrified. For this purpose, diesel locomotives will be hauled on the French side.
This solution was then further elaborated and prepared by DB InfraGO, SNCF Réseau, SBB Cargo International, Captrain France und DB Cargo, with the help of the National Safety Authorities.

The decisive test run for the diversion concept during the three-week closure of the Rhine Valley railway between Rastatt and Baden-Baden took place two weeks ago and proved the innovative solution worked. In Wörth am Rhein, a diesel locomotive was hauled in front of the train, which took the train over the single-track line to Lauterbourg and on via Strasbourg to Offenburg. The operational communication between the national railway systems and the handling of operational necessities such as changing train numbers, brake testing and ensuring readiness for departure posed challenges. The test train finally reached its destination in Offenburg with a delay of 82 minutes. The delays provided valuable insights for the further optimisation of processes on both the German and French sides.

We extend our gratitude to all parties who cooperated and coordinated to operationalize the re-routing concept along RFC Rhine Alpine. We also hope that this project will also show that international cooperation can overcome major hurdles.