According to newly released official calculations, the total costs for the Stuttgart 21 railway station could reach EUR 8.2 billion, twice as high as the estimate of EUR 4.5 billion presented at the start of the project. The increase was driven by higher building costs due to a booming German construction industry and tight domestic labor market, problems concerning the building site, and a desire by the management of Deutsche Bahn to create a financial buffer against the risk of future price increases. The new figures released were based on an assessment by the accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and the engineering company Emch+Berger.
Additionally, the completion date of the project was pushed back for a fifth time to 2025, four years later than originally anticipated. Nevertheless, the management of Deutsche Bahn had “credibly argued that a continuation of the project Stuttgart 21 is more economically sensible than its cancellation.”
When completed, Stuttgart 21 will substitute the existing old Stuttgart terminus railway station with a state-of-the-art underground through-station. The project is financed by the Stuttgart airport, Deutsche Bahn, the municipal government of Stuttgart, the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, the Federal Government, and the European Union.
Photo: DB
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