Basel Badischer Bahnhof (literally "Basel Baden Railway station", the name referring to the
Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways
The Grand Duchy of Baden was an independent state in what is now southwestern Germany until the creation of the German Empire in 1871. It had its own state-owned railway company, the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways (''Großherzoglich Badische ...
, which built the station) is a
railway station situated in the
Swiss city of
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...
. The station is situated on Swiss soil, but is operated by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
railway company
Deutsche Bahn
The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder.
describes itself as the ...
. A
customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
border is situated in the passenger tunnel between the tracks and the station hall. It is listed as a
Swiss heritage site of national significance. The station is served by three lines of the tri-national
Regio S-Bahn Basel ,french: RER trinational de Bâle
, image = Logo trireno black.svg
, alt = logo trireno
, imagesize = 180
, image2 = Basel 2012-08 Mattes 1 (283).JPG
, alt2 = S-Bahn train at B ...
, and ICE and EC/IC lines to and from Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin and other cities in Germany.
The station is the smaller of the two largest railway stations in Basel, the other being
Basel SBB
Basel SBB railway station (german: Bahnhof Basel SBB, or in earlier times ''Centralbahnhof'' or ''Schweizer Bahnhof'') is the central railway station in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Opened in 1854, and completely rebuilt in 1900–1907, it is ...
, which is operated by the
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS).
History
In March 1838, the
Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways
The Grand Duchy of Baden was an independent state in what is now southwestern Germany until the creation of the German Empire in 1871. It had its own state-owned railway company, the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways (''Großherzoglich Badische ...
started working on a railway line from
Mannheim via
Heidelberg,
Karlsruhe and
Freiburg im Breisgau. This line was called
Badische Hauptbahn (Baden Main Line) or
Rheintalbahn (Rhine Valley Line). A Swiss railway commission desired a continuation of the line into Basel and contacted the
Grand Duchy of Baden in 1842.
In January 1851, the Rheintalbahn line reached the village of
Haltingen
Weil am Rhein (High Alemannic: ''Wiil am Rhii'') is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the point at which the Swiss, French and German borders meet. It is the most southwesterly town in Germany an ...
, close to the Swiss border. Since the two governments had not agreed about how to build the station in Basel yet, the passengers were transported across the border with
hackney carriages.
Finally, on July 27, 1852, a treaty became effective between the government of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...
and the
Swiss Confederation. This treaty is still effective today. The start of construction was further delayed, however, by the Swiss insisting on a
terminal station and the Badische Staatseisenbahnen insisting on a through station in favour of the
planned extension of the line towards
Waldshut.
The first Baden Railway station of Basel was built as a through station at nowaday's Messeplatz square about 800 meters west of today's one. The line from Haltingen to Basel was opened on February 19, 1855, with a temporary wooden station building. A further line to
Konstanz in Baden was connected to the southern end of the station in 1856, and by April 10, 1859, Switzerland and Baden had finally agreed to build a permanent station, of which the construction started in May. The street entrances of the station building opened to nowaday's Riehenring street. In 1875, the communication railroad to
Basel Swiss station was opened, leaving the Baden station together with the railway to
Konstanz.
The increase of railway traffic in the beginning of 20th century afforded larger facilities. To get space for the urban development of
Kleinbasel, the government of Basel insisted on a new station on a new site. It was chosen straight north northwest of the railway bridge across the Rhine. The station was moved to its current location between 1906 and 1913.
Special situation
The Badischer Bahnhof is located on Swiss territory, but due to the 1852 treaty between the Swiss Confederation and the state of Baden (one of the predecessors of today's
Germany), the largest part of it (the platforms and the parts of the passenger tunnel that lead to the German/Swiss checkpoint) is treated as an inner-German station and is operated by the
Deutsche Bahn
The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder.
describes itself as the ...
. The shops in the station hall, however, are located in Switzerland, and the
Swiss franc
The Swiss franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is also legal tender in the Italian exclave of Campione d'Italia which is surrounded by Swiss territory. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) issues banknotes and the fe ...
is used as the official currency there (although the
euro is universally accepted).
Customs are located in a tunnel between the platforms and the station hall; international trains which continue to
Basel SBB
Basel SBB railway station (german: Bahnhof Basel SBB, or in earlier times ''Centralbahnhof'' or ''Schweizer Bahnhof'') is the central railway station in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Opened in 1854, and completely rebuilt in 1900–1907, it is ...
can have on-board customs checks. Systematic passport controls were abolished when Switzerland joined the
Schengen Area in 2008.
Layout
Basel Badischer Bahnhof has five
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platfor ...
s serving ten tracks. The platforms are reached from a passenger tunnel leading from the main station building.
Services
the following services stop at Basel Badischer Bahnhof:
Long distance services
Regional services
References
External links
*
*
Station layout(PDF)
{{Authority control
Railway stations in Basel-Stadt
Buildings and structures in Basel
Cultural property of national significance in Basel-Stadt
Germany–Switzerland border crossings
Railway stations opened in 1855
1855 establishments in Switzerland