Rhine Valley Railway Offenburg–Freiburg upgrade enters approval process

The upgrade of the Rhine Valley Railway between Offenburg and Freiburg (planning sections 7.1–7.4, Appenweier–Kenzingen segment) is part of the four-track expansion of the Karlsruhe–Basel line, described as the "heart" of the European rail corridor between Rotterdam and Genoa. PFA 7.1 (Appenweier–Hohberg, roughly 15–16 km including an approx. 11 km Offenburg tunnel) has been in the formal planning-approval procedure since summer 2022; for the roughly 26–31 km continuation Hohberg–Kenzingen (PFA 7.2–7.4), early public participation has been underway since 2023, with the formal approval procedure due to start in 2026. The source gives no binding completion date; the project list cites 2041 as a rough target horizon. Update (23 Sep 2026): For Hohberg–Friesenheim, the first of three sections between Hohberg and Kenzingen, the Federal Railway Authority has put the planning approval documents on public display from 23 September to 22 October 2026. DB plans two new tracks there alongside the A5 for freight, plus an upgrade of the existing line; the procedures for Lahr–Mahlberg and Ettenheim–Kenzingen have not yet started. The article gives no construction start (LOK Report, 23 Sep 2026).