Stuttgart 21 has long been a topic of debate and controversy in Europe. The ambitious rail project has faced numerous setbacks and delays, leading to ballooning costs and a completion date pushed back to 2026. Originally envisioned as a way to revitalize the city and create a key trans-European rail link, the project’s future now hangs in the balance.
Supporters of Stuttgart 21 see it as a crucial infrastructure project that will bring economic growth and modernize the city’s transportation system. They believe that once completed, it will improve connectivity and boost the region’s economy. However, critics question whether the project will ever deliver on its promises. They point to the rising costs and delays as evidence that Stuttgart 21 may not be worth the investment.
As the debate continues, the fate of Stuttgart 21 remains uncertain. With billions of euros on the line and the completion date still years away, the project faces an uphill battle to prove its value to both supporters and skeptics. The future of Europe’s most controversial rail project hangs in the balance, with the eyes of the world watching closely.
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Video “Stuttgart 21: Europe’s Most Controversial Rail Project | DW News” was uploaded on 10/25/2024 to Youtube Channel DW News
Amazing 1st
no doubts it is great project, one of the best in overall Europe currently
yep, I walk by there recently a lot, Stuttgart is a much lovely place, but I hope to see this project Stuttgart 21 finished before I die (I am 26 btw)
Guys how many more years will it take ? 😢
A megaproject that probably was a mistake.
Only the real insiders know that the sole purpose of this project is to decrease the time to switch from Stuttgart Hbf (tief) S-Bahn track to the Stuttgart Hbf (main) tracks by 4 minutes and 32 seconds down to a whopping 1 minutes and 18s (depending on your physique and where you leave the S-Bahn though)
🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁
Mega corrution projekt!
💰💰💰💰💰💰👺
😂😂😂 Then They Say They Will Compete China.
Delay and inflated costs is normal in Germany but this is an extreme case. All main stations across the county are now being turned into those "modern" buildings, I wish they could at least leave the frontage.
This is why china always win mega project bid around the world. U cant just blame china Europe need to blame themselves for corruption n laziness
Don‘t really lnow why they decided to invest money in these projects. The money for these projects should be better invested in other domains that need to be improved.
This projext looks pretty and impressive.. but was a pack of lies from the start. The costs were "underestimated" from the start. No-one expected it to finsh on time. The "advantages" are mininal. ALSO – not only the rock is terrible for underground construction. The platforms are all at an angle so steep that childrens prams start rolling on themselves ! There are also significantly fewer platforms than before. They SHOULD have just just copied the french TGV concept of building a new station for international fast trains just outside the city and providing a quick and frequent link. They could have spent that money on improving DB infrastcture – really needed.. instead of this vanity project.
Was stationed near there in the 80s
Mistake OR megaproject? Why can't it be both?
Edit: by the way, I'm curious to see what will happen when the notoriously unreliable Deutsche Bahn loses access to one of the tunnels leading to the station, or to a platform or two. This entire thing appears to be built for precision and efficiency. Yeah, good luck with that…
People like to site China's examples at everyone else's troubles.
Dictatorships are like cheetahs.
As long as the cheetah is in the right mood and temperament, it can move faster than anything around. That sprint is however, not going to last long.
Democracies are like herds of elephants. They move slow, they need to take everyone along. But they are steady, there is a deeper wisdom behind, and can sustain longer journeys.
Because it didn't happen in our lifetimes, It is easy to forget how meteorically Germany had risen out literally out of ashes after WW2 to become the backbone of European economy despite the heavy burden of reparations.
China is a rare exception where a dictatorship has managed to actually do something good for it's people.
I'm sure Simon Whistler is on the case.
Kinda hard to pay for it when you're broke 💰
Easily the biggest issue with Stuttgart 21 in my opinion is that the station only has 8 tracks, the old station had 16 terminus tracks, which is roughly the same capacity. If it had 12 tracks it would have a lot more support.
All megaprojects since the three failed pyramids of Pharaoh Sneferu have suffered structural setbacks and financial and schedule overruns. Germany, like every other country, has had its share of these “disasters”, all of which have then miraculously become landmarks that are admired the world over. Nobody complains about the Elbphilharmonie and its price tag anymore, but everyone who sees it from afar or visits it is full of admiration. The same goes for the Sydney Opera House, almost every great cathedral ever built, and so on. Stuttgart 21 is no exception.
The thing about the potential damage to tunnels by quickly expanding and contracting rock around them isn't just the expansion and contraction. It's also the moisture itself. The rock rubbing through any moisture protection anytime a major bit of rain hits can deteriorate the structural integrity by soaking it faster than a more stable environment would. Even with the metre-thick tunnel walls they're using, there's only two tracks out each way in a single tube, so a single structural integrity issue will disable the entire station. Some of the above ground terminus platforms should have been planned to be retained from the get go, especially for the connection to Zürich, but developers always get the land they want to build pricy buildings to sell to rich mates.
Note that the line to Ulm is a separate project not directly tied to Stuttgart 21 or its funding.
TBH, if the project were completed quickly, it would also be cheap.
21 billions
When the advantage is dubious at best, it is better to leave it alone!
China built 40000km of high speed rail in 15 years
HS2: 'Allow me to introduce myself.'
Stuttgart 21 has become an endless money pit and a burden for everyone affected by it. I was just 6 years old when this project was approved, and decades later, we’re still waiting. Meanwhile, other countries can accomplish similar infrastructure work in weeks! Where is this 'German Efficiency' everyone talks about? This seems less about efficiency and more about incompetence—or even blatant misuse of taxpayer money.
And it doesn’t stop there. Baden-Württemberg is pouring millions into campaigns like 'The Länd,' yet where’s the actual inclusion? I’ve struggled to find anyone speaking English who can assist with integration. I have a child here and no access to a doctor within 35 kilometers. And what about the 45% of my salary taken in taxes? Public transportation is less reliable than in many developing countries, and the state of services is shocking.
This isn’t the Germany people envision—without the Marshall Plan, who knows where it would stand today? For taxpayers who work hard and contribute so much, it’s time to see real accountability. Stop wasting money on failing projects and start addressing the real needs of the people.
It seems NIMBYs are universal.
The new station will be a setback to my sport. Atleast twice in a week sbahn and DB bahn made me fit with their delays forcing me run between sbahn to main station to catch my train to Karlsruhe and vice-versa.I am sad now.
Germans don't like changes.