A proposal was made in 1836 to build a railway line from Zürich to Basel via Laufenburg but it suffered from lack of finance and opposition in Basel. The section between Zürich and Baden opened on 9 August 1847 by the Schweizerische Nordbahn (Swiss North Railway), which became known as the Spanisch-Brötli bahn (Spanish bun railway). The Aargau canton government proposed a continuation of the line via Brugg and the Bözberg Pass to Basel.