BASF invests more than EUR 100 million in Ludwigshafen rail terminal

BASF is investing more than EUR 100 million in the modernisation and expansion of its intermodal terminal in Ludwigshafen, strengthening the rail infrastructure serving the German chemical group's largest integrated production site.

Construction officially started in August, with the project aimed at modernising existing infrastructure and improving the terminal's logistics performance.

BASF describes the total investment as being in the low three-digit million-euro range. Nearly EUR 51 million is being provided through funding from the German federal government.

Completion is scheduled for 2028.

One of Europe's major intermodal hubs
The Ludwigshafen terminal is an important part of BASF's logistics infrastructure and Europe's combined transport network.
It handles more than 1,000 loading units per day and has a capacity of up to approximately 500,000 units annually.
The existing infrastructure includes 13 railway tracks and eight gantry cranes, with the terminal handling both BASF cargo and volumes for external customers.
As part of the project, the two oldest transshipment modules will be replaced with modern, higher-performance infrastructure.

For BASF, the objective is to improve logistics efficiency and strengthen the competitiveness of the Ludwigshafen site.

Low Rhine levels highlight logistics vulnerability
The investment is not a direct response to the current navigation problems on the Rhine. The project and its financing were prepared before the latest disruption.
However, conditions this summer demonstrate the strategic importance of strong alternative transport routes.
Very low Rhine water levels have begun affecting industrial transport in Germany, limiting the cargo volumes that vessels can carry and increasing logistics costs for companies dependent on inland waterways.

For BASF's Ludwigshafen site, the Rhine is a critical logistics artery.

Approximately 40% of the volumes transported to and from the site move by inland waterway, while around 30% are transported by rail and another 30% by road.
When low Rhine levels restrict vessel capacity, rail transport becomes one of the main alternatives for maintaining industrial flows.

Why it matters for the plastics industry
Logistics disruptions at Europe's major chemical production centres can have consequences throughout the plastics industry supply chain.
Polymers, chemical intermediates, additives and other raw materials must be transported from production hubs to compounders, distributors and processors across Europe.
Reduced inland waterway capacity can shift additional volumes towards rail and road transport, potentially increasing costs and putting additional pressure on available infrastructure.

For processors in Central and Eastern Europe, greater diversification of logistics routes used by major chemical producers could help reduce supply-chain vulnerability during periods of disruption to inland waterway transport.

Investing in logistics resilience
The modernisation of the Ludwigshafen terminal should therefore be viewed in a broader context than simply an expansion of rail infrastructure.
Europe's chemical industry is facing a combination of high costs, competitive pressure and logistics vulnerabilities that can affect continuity of supply.
The ability to shift cargo between inland waterways, rail and road is consequently becoming a strategic capability.

BASF's investment highlights the growing importance of intermodal infrastructure in maintaining flows of raw materials and industrial products within a European logistics system increasingly exposed to disruption.

Sources:Plastics Information Europe (PIE), August 2026