It’s about billions
Bahn has to bear additional costs from Stuttgart 21 alone
May 7, 2024, 2:07 p.m
Work has been going on at the train station in Stuttgart since 2010 – but the project was actually supposed to be finished in 2019. Above all, cost explosions are slowing down the pace of construction in the Baden-Württemberg state capital. According to a court ruling, it is clear who should bear the costs.
Deutsche Bahn has to bear the billions in additional costs of the Stuttgart 21 rail project alone. The Stuttgart Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuits of several railway companies against the state of Baden-Württemberg, the city of Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Region Association and Stuttgart Airport. With the lawsuits, the DB wanted to ensure that the project partners contributed financially to the additional costs.
According to reports from December 2023, the rail project had recently become more expensive again. It was reported from supervisory board circles that costs had increased by 1.7 billion euros to around 11 billion euros. The reason for the cost increase was primarily increased construction costs, it was said. 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.
A financing agreement from 2009 only regulates the distribution of costs up to a total of a good 4.5 billion euros. According to the court ruling, the railway would now have to cover the difference to the 11 billion on its own. The so-called speaking clause was anchored in the contract to deal with possible cost increases. What exactly was meant by the speaking clause was very controversial between the project partners. The railway assumed a “joint financing responsibility” and found that “the speaking clause establishes a right to further financing participation,” as the company announced. The project partners saw it differently and insisted that fixed amounts had been agreed.
Deutsche Bahn now wants to check whether it can take action against the decision. “We will examine the written reasons very carefully and then decide whether we will lodge an appeal,” said a DB spokesman.
Stuttgart 21 doesn’t just stand for the train station
Participating in the additional costs would have meant massive burdens for the project partners. In a negotiation, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg warned of possible negative consequences for the municipal budget. If there is a stake, the investments would have to be stopped for a longer period of time, a representative of the municipality emphasized to the administrative court. The other project partners also pointed out possible negative consequences for their budgets. The Ministry of Transport announced that the state of Baden-Württemberg would have incurred additional costs of around 2.8 billion euros if it participated.
The Stuttgart 21 project represents the complete reorganization of the Stuttgart railway 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. Construction began in 2010 and was scheduled to be completed in 2019.