Stuttgart 21 is getting more and more expensive. It has been clear for some time that the costs for the rail project would rise again. Now it is clear by how much.
As the DPA news agency learned from supervisory board circles, the costs of Stuttgart 21 will increase by 1.7 billion euros to around 11 billion euros. The reason for the cost increase was primarily increased construction costs, it was said. A railway spokesman did not want to comment on the figures.
Who will pay for the additional Stuttgart 21 costs?
The railway had recently planned a total cost of 9.15 billion euros for the project, plus a buffer of 640 million euros. There have been repeated cost increases in the past. The project partners are currently arguing in court over who has to pay the additional costs of S 21. A financing agreement from 2009 only regulates the distribution of costs up to a total of a good 4.5 billion euros.
At a recent meeting of the Stuttgart 21 steering committee, the project partners emphasized that they expected further cost increases. “The evidence that we will not be able to maintain the cost framework has increased to such an extent that we now urgently have to discuss it internally,” said Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure director, Berthold Huber, recently. There were significant cost increases in all trades, said Huber. The railway’s supervisory board is scheduled to deal with the cost development of the project on December 18th.
“We are definitely tearing down the previous plans”
Baden-Württemberg’s Transport Minister Winfried Hermann said that individual tenders had cost increases of 100 to 200 percent. “We are definitely tearing down the previous plans,” said the Green politician.
The Stuttgart 21 project represents the complete reorganization of the Stuttgart rail hub, not just the reconstruction of the state capital’s main train station. New train stations, dozens of kilometers of railway tracks and tunnels, culverts and bridges are being built. Stuttgart 21 is intended to help significantly reduce travel times in long-distance and regional transport. In addition to Stuttgart 21, the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project also includes the new construction of the already opened Wendlingen-Ulm line.
Source: Stern
