The opening of the new underground station in Stuttgart has been postponed by another five years, resulting in increased costs for the Stuttgart 21 project. According to reports from DPA, the German railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, anticipates additional expenses amounting to approximately €3 billion, bringing the total project cost to €14.5 billion.
The costs of constructing the new underground station and the renovation of the railway hub have been revised upwards multiple times in recent years. The financial agreement established in 2009 initially outlined a budget of just over €4.5 billion, anticipating construction expenses around €3 billion, with a reserve of €1.5 billion included.
Another Delay
This latest delay is particularly painful for Deutsche Bahn financially. A court ruling mandates that any additional costs exceeding the financial agreement must be borne solely by the company. Efforts to shift these extra burdens onto project partners, including the state of Baden-Württemberg, the city of Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Region Association, and Stuttgart Airport, have failed in court.
On Wednesday, railway representatives announced the further postponement of the Stuttgart 21 project during a Bundestag transport committee meeting. Under the current timeline, the new underground station is now expected to open only by the end of 2031. The project was originally slated for completion in 2019, but this deadline has been pushed back several times, most recently to the end of 2026.
Committee participants indicated that the main reason for the latest delay is the digitalization challenges faced at the Stuttgart railway hub. The technical issues have proven to be significantly more complex than initially anticipated, and planning processes have not reached an adequate level of maturity. Reports have previously indicated that part of the wiring must be redone due to errors, with over 1,000 kilometers of improperly installed cables identified.
Additional complications have arisen concerning the technical building, which no longer meets current standards. Modifications to control and power systems are also required. Media reports suggest that a new emergency power supply concept is necessary.
The recent schedule change has sparked dissatisfaction among project partners. Cem Özdemir, the Premier of Baden-Württemberg, has recently demanded a reliable investment timeline from Deutsche Bahn, emphasizing a desire to avoid annual announcements of new deadlines. Stuttgart’s Mayor Frank Nopper has called for a transparent update on the current state of the investment.
