Direct S-Bahn lines from Alsace to north-west Switzerland from 2030. The federal government wants 987 million francs for cultural funding by 2028

From the timetable change in 2030, two new railway lines will directly connect Alsace with north-west Switzerland. The S-Bahn is planned between Mulhouse and Olten SO, as well as Saint-Louis and Laufen BL, as the Trireno association announced on Saturday.

Authorities in France and Switzerland responsible for ordering public transport have announced their intention to expand S-Bahn service across borders, Trireno writes.

The S2 line continues from Mulhouse via the SBB train station Saint-Louis and Basel to Olten, the S4 line runs from Saint-Louis via the SBB train station Basel to Laufen and runs every 30 minutes. This would mean that the stops between Basel SBB and Saint-Louis would be served four times an hour.

Additional stops will be built at the Morgartenring and in Dornach Apfelsee. For the cross-border S-Bahn lines, the SBB is preparing to purchase new trains, which would be co-financed by the French Région Grand Est.

In a next step, the Euroairport Base-Mulhouse is expected to be connected to the S-Bahn in 2035, Trireno writes.

Relieve busy streets

“An extension of the S-Bahn as the backbone of settlement development is crucial to relieve the current congested streets. We benefit from this on both sides of the border,” said Trireno President Isaac Reber, councilor of the Basel-Landschaft government. Vice President Esther Keller, government councilor of Basel-Stadt, described the new offer as a “step towards more climate-friendly mobility” that will allow the region to grow even closer together.

Seven authorities form the Trireno association based in Liestal BL: the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau, Solothurn and Jura, the French Grand Est region and Baden-Württemberg on the German side.

(sda)