Stuttgart 21 is not scheduled to go into operation until 2026

According to the latest information, Stuttgart 21 will not be put into operation until 2026. Source: dpa Deutsche Bahn is postponing the opening of the new Stuttgart main station to December 2026. ZDF learned this from several independent sources. The most controversial railway project in Germany has been delayed again by another year.Stuttgart 21: Railway will provide information about commissioning on TuesdayOn Tuesday, a meeting of the steering committee of the railway project will take place in Stuttgart, at which the railway wants to inform the project partners about its plans to commission Stuttgart 21 . A railway spokesman said in mid-May that the railway would provide information about the 2026 annual timetable at the meeting. It had previously been unclear for a long time when the new station would go into operation. The railway announced in March that the existing Stuttgart main station would remain in operation at least until 2026. This was actually supposed to be replaced by the new underground station in December 2025. The railway must decide whether, and if so to what extent, trains can run through the new underground station from December 2025 at the latest 18 months before the start of the new timetable - i.e. by June 2024 for the timetable change in December 2025.Stuttgart 21 - Germany's largest construction site, technically extremely demanding and still controversial. Working under extreme time pressure so that the train station is finally finished.06/18/2023 | 30:10 minStuttgart railway junction awaits reorganizationThe Stuttgart 21 project not only stands for the construction of the new main station in the state capital, but also for the complete reorganization of the Stuttgart railway junction. New train stations are being built - such as a new long-distance train station at the airport - dozens of kilometers of railway tracks and tunnels, culverts and bridges. In addition to Stuttgart 21, the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project also includes the new construction of the Wendlingen-Ulm high-speed line, which will open in 2022. The heart of Stuttgart 21 is the new underground main station, which, unlike the previous terminus station, will be a through station. The project costs significantly more money than expected. The decision was made in May as to who should pay the additional costs. ZDF expert Frank Bethmann reported.07.05.2024 | 1:02 minBahn has to bear the costs itselfThe railway, which is officially the developer of Stuttgart 21, estimates the costs for the project at around eleven billion euros and has also planned a buffer of around 500 million euros. There have been several significant cost increases in recent years. According to a court ruling, the railway must bear the billion-dollar additional costs, currently at least 6.5 billion euros, alone. At the beginning of May, the Stuttgart Administrative Court heard lawsuits from several railway companies against the state of Baden-Württemberg, the city of Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Region Association and the airport Stuttgart rejected. With the lawsuits, the DB wanted to ensure that the project partners contributed financially to the additional costs. There has been great criticism of the mega-project since it was presented almost 30 years ago. Stuttgart 21 is still not finished.06/18/2023 | 1:32 minExpert: “Terrible embarrassment” for Deutsche BahnExperts had been expecting a further delay in the major project for some time. Therefore the news is for rail expert Prof. Dr. Christian Böttger no surprise. Nevertheless, the bad news always hurts him because it is bad for the rail system and bad for the railway. Stuttgart 21 still plays a major role in the image of the railway. So of course it's a terrible embarrassment and we'll have to put all our resources into it to at least be finished by 2026. But probably at the expense of other projects.Prof. Dr. Christian Böttger, Berlin University of Technology and EconomicsYou need money that is then missing elsewhere. “In that respect, it’s all pretty dramatic,” said the rail expert. It’s been clear for years: Stuttgart 21 will be much more expensive than planned.December 29, 2023 | 2:00 minAlliance against Stuttgart 21: Opening date in 2026 unrealisticFor the opponents of the Stuttgart 21 project, the further postponement is also no surprise. "I call this the next round - story time. Everyone involved has known for a long time what the project's status is and now would be the moment to pause and look: where is this project? What alternatives are there?"warns Werner Sauerborn from the action alliance against Stuttgart 21. The railway should not just continue to build mindlessly and invest the next billion, he warns. The alliance also considers the new opening date of 2026 to be unrealistic. Source: ZDf, dpa