Northern Switzerland BVB focuses on the circular economy for the new Basel bus garage
The largest indoor garage for electric buses in Europe will be built in Basel by 2027 at a cost of 161 million Swiss francs. Almost a third of the steel beams from the old garage building on Rankstrasse will be reused in the new garage, as announced by the transport company on Monday.
22.07.2024, 16:00
SDA
All that remains of the old building from 1972 is the skeleton made of solid steel girders. And that won't be for much longer. A pneumatic crane will be used to lift the girders, which have been bolted apart, and stack them on top of each other at the edge.
They are to be reused, as representatives of Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) and a representative of Immobilien Basel-Stadt said at a media tour on Monday. Just under a third of the beams will be reused in the new garage building, while the rest will be temporarily stored for the construction of new residential buildings.
Sustainability as a program
Sustainability is a keyword for BVB, said its director Bruno Stehrenberger. On the one hand, there is the complete switch to electric operation. Today, 65 e-buses are already in operation. By 2027, all 126 will be electric, which will save around 10,000 tons of CO2 per year.
A new garage is needed for these buses. With 144 charging points on four floors, it will be the largest indoor facility of its kind in Europe, said Stehrenberger.
The new building should also be as sustainable as possible, said Daniel Schölz, Head of BVB Bus System 2027. In addition to the reuse of building materials, these should also be used sparingly. For example, floors that are only used for parking buses will not have a façade.
In the first quarter of 2025, the actual new construction work will begin with the excavation. And the new building, which will cost CHF 161 million, is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2027.
