The last remaining gap in the Stuttgart-Ulm high-speed rail line has been closed. Unfortunately, this does not close a newly discovered funding gap, which, according to multiple press reports, is expected to increase by another €1.7 billion for the new through station in the Baden-Württemberg state capital and the overall €11 billion Stuttgart 21 project.
The gap was closed in front of the southern portal of the Filder Tunnel, the longest tunnel of the Stuttgart 21 project at 9.5 km. Olaf Drescher, Chairman of the Management Board of DB Projekt-GmbH: "In a few weeks, we will begin track construction at the future Stuttgart main station."
Approximately 73 kilometers of track have been laid so far for the Stuttgart 21 project. The first rails, weighing just over seven tons and measuring 120 meters in length, were delivered by rail in November 2021 and transported to the construction site on the motorway using a special truck. Track construction began in the spring of 2022.
Photos: DB
With the exception of the tracks at the future main station and the Untertürkheim train depot, track construction is almost entirely complete. The 60 km long, also double-track, Wendlingen–Ulm section of the high-speed line has been in operation for almost a year. Around 120 km of track were laid for this section starting in spring 2019.
Stuttgart 21 and the Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed line encompass the complete reorganization of the Stuttgart rail hub and the high-speed rail line between Stuttgart and Ulm. Deutsche Bahn is building six new stations, 120 km of tunnels, and 81 bridges.
