German railway operator Deutsche Bahn has launched a project to build a double-track freight line between Offenburg and Müllheim. Spanning approximately 90 km, the new line will run alongside the A5 motorway and form part of the Trans-European Transport Corridor connecting Rotterdam and Genoa. The project includes a bypass around Freiburg, which will divert a significant portion of freight traffic away from the city and nearby communities.
The company notes that the new infrastructure will help relieve pressure on the existing Karlsruhe–Basel railway line, currently one of Germany’s key freight routes. About 50,000 freight trains travel annually along the section passing through Freiburg, placing a heavy load on the network and limiting capacity for future traffic growth.
Construction will be carried out in stages. The first phase involves building an 11-km section, expected to be completed in about six years; however, Deutsche Bahn has not yet announced a timeline for the new line’s full commissioning. Once completed, the route is expected to increase capacity for international freight transport between the North Sea and the Mediterranean and improve transport efficiency along one of Europe’s most important transport corridors.