In Germany, the cost of building the new Stuttgart station is derailing
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
It is one of the most ambitious projects in Germany… but also one of the most expensive and controversial. The station in Stuttgart, the country’s sixth city, was due to open in 2019. But the work is still not finished and the construction costs of this monumental project have exploded.
When it was launched in the mid-1990s, the project, presented as futuristic, was estimated at 2.5 billion euros. But year after year, the costs have soared: 4 and a half billion in 2009, 6 in 2011, 10 in 2022, and, finally, the latest estimate made in April 2024 now exceeds 11 billion. Or 4 times the starting amount.
The bill grew as the work fell behind schedule. The inauguration of the underground station, planned for 2019, will not ultimately take place before the end of 2025. The reason: difficulties have accumulated on the site. The construction of the columns which should give the station the appearance of a 21st century cathedral was more complicated than expected, as were the drilling operations and the digitalization.
Deutsche Bahn has turned to its partners to share the bill, but the city, region and airport refuse to pay more. Now everyone is fighting in court to see who will pay the bill. When it is finally put into service, the station will place Stuttgart at the heart of a 1,500 km east-west railway axis between Paris and Budapest.
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