German state railway DB is planning to invest around €14.2 billion in the Karlsruhe-Basel railway project, according to a response from the German government to a question from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. The entire project, which covers a distance of 200 km, is expected to be completed by 2041, although cost increases are possible due to the long duration of more than 15 years. Around 60 km of the line are already in operation, including the sections between Rastatt Süd and Offenburg as well as Schliengen and Eimeldingen with the Katzenberg tunnel. A further 20% of the project is currently under construction and should be completed by 2030, including the Rastatt tunnel. The remaining sections are in various planning phases, with planning approval decisions still pending for some sections. The interior work on the Rastatt tunnel, where an accident occurred in 2017, is currently underway and the start of operations is planned for the end of 2026.
