Car transit congestion - Deutsche Bahn plans to update project partners on the completion of the S21 commissioning process.
When can the first trains pass through the brand-new Stuttgart underground station? The German Railways (DB) will share this news with the Stuttgart 21 project partners during a steering committee meeting. As per the reports, the railway will disclose the exact timetable for 2026 in today's session. Following the meeting, a press conference is scheduled to discuss the matter further.
Sources claims that "Spiegel" has information about the postponement of the new Stuttgart main station's opening to December 2026. Thus, the most contentious rail project in Germany has been delayed for another year, according to the report.
The precise time frame for the new station's operation was unclear. The company had previously confirmed that the existing Stuttgart main station would remain operational in 2026. It was originally thought that the older terminal station would be replaced by the new underground station in December 2025. However, decisions regarding train operations through the new underground station from December 2025 onwards must be made by the railway at least 18 months before the new timetable commencement - that is, by June 2024 for the December 2025 timetable changes.
Stuttgart 21 is more than just the construction of a new main station. It encompasses the complete overhaul of Stuttgart's railway intersection. The project includes building numerous new stations, such as a new long-distance airport station, growing railway tracks and tunnel tubes, crossings, and bridges. The railway project Stuttgart-Ulm also involves constructing the new high-speed line between Wendlingen and Ulm, which already started operations in 2022. Stuttgart 21's hub is the new underground main station, a through station in contrast to the previous terminal station.
The railway, as project executor, predicts that Stuttgart 21 will cost approximately 11 billion euros and has dedicated a 500 million euro buffer. There have been substantial cost increases in recent years. According to a court ruling, the railway alone should bear the additional expenses of no less than 6.5 billion euros.
The Administrative Court of Stuttgart rejected the lawsuits of various railway companies against the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the city of Stuttgart, the Region Stuttgart, and Stuttgart Airport earlier in May. The DB had filed these suits to persuade the partners to share the extra costs. A DB spokesperson stated, "We'll carefully analyze the verdict and then determine whether to file an appeal."
