Harbor Railway in Basel’s Rhine Port to be Relocated for Urban Development

At Klybeckquai and Westquai, the Canton of Basel-Stadt has a unique opportunity to develop a large area comprehensively. The relocation of the current harbor railway at Altrheinweg is a prerequisite for this area development. The government council has decided to present the “South Quay” option for the relocation of the harbor railway to the Grand Council. The harbor railway will now be located in the core harbor area, and the existing tracks south of the Wiese will be removed.

(Basel) The government council aims to develop the areas at Klybeckquai and Westquai urbanistically, as it has already outlined in the context of the realization of the harbor basin 3. Mixed-use neighborhoods for living, working, culture, leisure, and gastronomy are to be created. A new spacious park at Altrheinweg, south of the Wiese, is intended to serve the Basel population as an additional green space with high quality of stay and positively impact the urban climate. This offers the neighborhoods of Klybeck and Kleinhüningen the chance to break free from their spatial constraints and gradually grow towards the Rhine and the Wiese.

The urban development at Klybeckquai and Westquai requires the relocation of the current harbor railway at Altrheinweg. In collaboration with the Federal Office of Transport and the Swiss Rhine Ports, the Canton of Basel-Stadt has examined various options for relocating the harbor station to the core harbor area of Kleinhüningen and has evaluated a feasible best option, the “South Quay”. All track facilities of the harbor railway south of the Wiese are to be removed through the relocation. With the “South Quay” option, the harbor will receive a modern infrastructure for the coming decades that enables a coexistence of city and harbor. The new facility will have comparable performance capabilities to the existing facility but will require less space and significantly fewer track infrastructures.

Development Agreement for Land Reorganization

To create the area needed for the relocation, various measures are required for public works, buildings, and infrastructure facilities in the area along the South Quay road. For this purpose, the Canton and the Swiss Rhine Ports, the Industrial Works Basel, the Gas Association Mittelland (GVM), and ProRheno (as the operator of the wastewater treatment plant of Basel-Stadt) have concluded a development agreement as a basis for the necessary land reorganization. As a first measure, the customs measurement station of the GVM, an important injection point into the Swiss gas network, must be relocated to a new site. The corresponding planning submission will start in spring 2023.

With the “South Quay” option and the development agreement, the prerequisites for the relocation of the harbor railway are in place. Therefore, the government council will present the option for decision and a budget approval for further project planning and the relocation of the gas supply to the Grand Council in the second quarter of 2023.

Great Benefits for the City of Basel

According to rough cost estimates, the total costs for the relocation amount to 275 million Swiss francs (plus/minus 30 percent). These costs include the entire railway project, the replacement and relocation measures to free up the required land areas, as well as land acquisition. These investment costs are counterbalanced by the economic potentials: An analysis by external experts estimates recurring annual tax increases of up to 60 million Swiss francs and a one-time increase in land value of around 230 million – compared to a development of Klybeckquai/Westquai without the relocation of the harbor railway. Furthermore, the relocation brings significant added value for the existing neighborhoods and the entire city: A total of housing and jobs for 8,000 people can be created on Klybeck and Westquai. The existing neighborhoods will receive more green and open spaces, and the Rhine bank will be freely available for public use – from the Dreirosen Bridge to the Wiese mouth.

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Photo/Graphic: © Swiss Rhine Ports