© Stadtverwaltung Weil am Rhein
5 years of extension of Tram 8 - A success story
As the first cross-border tram line after World War II, the extension of tram Line 8 between Basel and Weil am Rhein was put into operation on 14 December 2014. Up to 3,600 people commute daily between Weil am Rhein and Basel. This close economic and social interdependence gave rise to the idea of realizing a cross-border extension of the Basel tram Line 8.
As the first cross-border tram line after World War II, the extension of tram Line 8 between Basel and Weil am Rhein was put into operation on 14 December 2014. Up to 3,600 people commute daily between Weil am Rhein and Basel. This close economic and social interdependence gave rise to the idea of realizing a cross-border extension of the Basel tram Line 8.
To celebrate the success of the project, the city of Weil am Rhein invited the then project team to take a ride in a historic tram. It went from the turning loop at Europaplatz in Weil am Rhein to Basel to the tram depot of the Basler Verkehrsbetriebe.
Here, Basel's cantonal councillor Mr. Wessel praised the extension of the tram as a positive development, which makes the Basel people "a little more European and turns the city into a 'genuine, open, trinational urban region'". It was only the 10 million euro grant from the Basel side that had made the construction project possible five years ago.
In his speech, the lord mayor Mr. Dietz from Weil also stressed the benefits and success of the tram line on the German side. Within five years (2009 - 2014) the line had been completed. A 2.8 km long section was built between the Kleinhüningen district of Basel and the Europaplatz in Weil am Rhein, plus the necessary bridge construction. The 60 m long arched bridge crosses the federal road B3 and various railway tracks.
The transport of approx. 1.5 million passengers in the first year after the new section of the line was put into operation confirmed the success of the line. The journey times have already been divided into smaller intervals in order to increase the number of passengers. Tram 8 now runs at 7.5 minute intervals.
KREBS+KIEFER took over the project management, the services of a railway construction supervisor and the provision of the person authorized to sign the building documents (BVB).
In view of the success and popularity of the line, there may be a further extension of tram Line 8 on the German side. This would connect an additional 15,000 citizens to the tram line in the Altenweil district of Weil am Rhein.
