New railroad line connects Basel with St.Gallen via Constance

News-Sustainability-Today

Basel/Schaffhausen – The new Hochrhein-Bodensee-Express will connect Basel with St.Gallen via Schaffhausen and Constance every two hours from December 2027. The new link is being financed by the neighboring cantons and districts as well as the federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg.

The regions on the High Rhine and Lake Constance between Basel, Schaffhausen, Singen, Constance and St. Gallen as well as Herisau will be connected across the border by the High Rhine-Lake Constance Express from December 2027. The new train connection will run every two hours for the first five years. It is jointly financed by the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Stadt, Schaffhausen, St.Gallen and Thurgau, the districts of Lörrach, Constance and Waldshut as well as the Federal Office of Transport and the state of Baden-Württemberg, as the sponsors write in a joint press release.

The new connection extends the current regional express service between Herisau, St.Gallen and Constance and is to be integrated into the line concept of the tri-national Basel S-Bahn at Basel Badischer Bahnhof. It will be integrated into the Swiss fare system along its entire route; Half-Fare and GA travelcards will be valid on it.

The new connection will be made possible by the electrification of the Hochrheinbahn on the German side, which is due to be completed between 2025 and 2027. The state of Baden-Württemberg and the districts of Lörrach and Waldshut have concluded a corresponding agreement with Deutsche Bahn. Switzerland is contributing to the costs of electrification as part of the 2035 railroad expansion phase. ce/stk