High-ranking representatives of Deutsche Bahn, federal, state and local politics, the European Commission and Stuttgart Airport celebrated the topping-out ceremony for the shell construction of the new long-distance and regional train station at the airport on the Filder plateau and the state trade fair grounds - which is also the home of LogiMAT.
Olaf Drescher, Chairman of the Management Board of DB Projekt Stuttgart–Ulm, praised the airport and trade fair connection with its two 440-meter-long platforms as a new mobility hub. Gero Hocker, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Transport, stated: “This creates a unique link between different modes of transport – long-distance and regional rail, air travel, long-distance bus, and car. It is a major step towards managing the growing traffic flows.”
One slight drawback is the wrangling over the connection of the so-called "Gäu Railway," which runs through the Swabian Alps, Rottweil, and Tuttlingen to Singen, also providing service towards Switzerland. Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann stated: "The state and the airport expect Deutsche Bahn to serve the airport more frequently than every two hours, contrary to current plans, and not only with Intercity trains but also with Intercity Express trains. As frustrating as the delays in the commissioning of Stuttgart 21 are, it is now essential to ensure that the airport station opens simultaneously with Stuttgart 21 and the new through station. It is now crucial that work continues at full speed on connecting the Gäu Railway via the airport to the main station. We appeal to the federal government to keep its word and secure funding for the Pfaffensteig Tunnel. To make the Stuttgart rail hub fit for the demands of the future with significantly more passengers, we also need the complete expansion of the Stuttgart Digital Hub."
The new travel time from Stuttgart Central Station to the state airport and the trade fair grounds will be only six minutes instead of the current 27. From Ulm, the journey time to the airport train station will be only around 30 minutes – instead of the current more than 1 hour 30 minutes; from Heidelberg, only 44 minutes instead of the current 1 hour 24 minutes.
