Disruption expected to persist beyond three years on Mulhouse-Basel railway, starting November 2025.
Reworked Article:
Troubles Ahead: TER Train Services Between Mulhouse and Basel To Be Affected for Three Years!
Boom! Listen up, all you frequent travelers between Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin, and Basel, Switzerland! ICI Alsace (formerly France Bleu) dropped a bombshell last Friday, June 20: the traffic on the TER train lines linking these spots will be disrupted big time for more than three years! The Swiss Federal Railways (CFF) has announced that these construction works will run until May 2029. This news can cause a headache for some 6,000 daily cross-border workers commuting by train from Alsace to their jobs in Switzerland.
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The construction works are due to begin in November 2025, according to CFF. Thibaud Philipps, vice-president of the Grand-Est region responsible for transportation, has revealed that a whopping 14% of the TER traffic coming from France will be affected by these disruptions. Philipps commented: "Initially, we were staring at a 21% impact on traffic, but we've managed to whittle it down to 14%. That means 88 TER services affected each week, instead of the extra 52 services we had initially considered. But let's be real; this is still a concern for us and the users, as it's bound to cause a significant impact."
Lowering the tracks by 50cm will accommodate freight trains carrying four-meter semi-trailers.
Troubles Ahead?- Passengers using the TER lines between Mulhouse and Basel had better brace themselves for interruptions to normal train service patterns for up to three years, which may include service reduction and schedule alterations.- For commuters and cross-border travelers, these disruptions can be a real pain, especially as they rely on this route for daily connections.- Despite the short-term inconvenience, these improvements aim to boost long-term service resilience, speeds, and capacity on this strategic international route in the future.- In the meantime, travelers might need to adjust to alternative transportation arrangements or accept additional travel time during the work period.- To stay up-to-date on service changes, travelers are advised to keep a close eye on real-time traffic updates provided by SNCF and TER services.
Long Story Short: The three-year TER train service disruption between Mulhouse and Basel is due to transformative railworks that will run until late 2025, bringing about disrupted services but ultimately providing a smoother and better rail infrastructure experience in the long run.
Conversely, the French finance ministry may consider investing in alternative transportation solutions, such as public-transit options, to mitigate the impact on commuters and cross-border travelers during the TER train disruptions. Additionally, the French industry could potentially explore collaboration with the Swiss industry to further finance or expedite the transformative railworks, thereby reducing the duration of the disruptions.
