Stuttgart 21 is a railway and urban development project in the German city of Stuttgart. It is part of the new and renovated Stuttgart–Augsburg railway, as well as the Main Line for Europe (Paris—Vienna) within the context of the Trans-European Networks. Its focal point is a redeveloped Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, which is surrounded by 57 kilometers (35 miles) of new trains, including 30 kilometers (19 miles) of tunnels and 25 kilometers (16 miles) of high-speed lines.
In April 1994, the project was publicly announced. On February 2, 2010, construction work began. Total costs were officially assessed at €6.5 billion in March 2013, up from €4.5 billion in 2009. Deutsche Bahn estimated the overall cost in March 2022 at €9.15 billion. A heated dispute arose on a wide range of issues, including relative costs and benefits, geological and environmental problems, and performance concerns.
As of 2019, the start of operations is planned in late 2025 compared to an earlier estimate of 2019. (made in 2010). The project aims to connect ambitions for high-speed links from Stuttgart to other cities with local infrastructure improvements and the replacement of the current terminal station. The current 17-track station will be replaced by an 8-track subterranean through station.
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Stuttgart 21 project scope
The new lines will cross below ground at a right angle to the northern end of the old structure. The historic Paul Bonatz Hauptbahnhof structure, as well as the platforms and approach tracks, will be removed, and the property will be sold for construction.
New surface and underground lines will link the station in Stuttgart’s constricted core valley with current lines, according to the proposals. The Stuttgart–Wendlingen high-speed line would connect the rebuilt Hauptbahnhof with a new Filder station (Filderbahnhof), servicing the Airport, the Messe (trade fair), and the Filderstadt district via a new tunnel, the Filder Tunnel. The route would subsequently connect to the planned high-speed line Wendlingen-Ulm. To make way for redevelopment, the carriage sidings would be relocated to the region around Untertürkheim station.
On April 2, 2009, Baden-Württemberg Premier Günther Oettinger signed the financial agreement with German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee and Deutsche Bahn board member Stefan Garber. On November 23, 2009, it was reported that construction would begin in February 2010, subject to total expenditures not exceeding €4.5 billion. The project is being planned on behalf of DB Netze and DB Station & Service by DB subsidiary DB ProjektBau, which is also the project’s promoter for the development clearance procedure.
