Transportation Deutsche Bahn postpones the start of Stuttgart 21 once again
The completion of the Stuttgart 21 construction project has been delayed again. The opening in 2026 will not happen.
19.11.2025, 12:56
SDA
As the Deutsche Presse-Agentur has learned from circles within the project partners and the railroad supervisory board, the underground station will no longer open in December 2026 as planned. Several media outlets had previously reported this.
According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, technical problems with the digitalization and construction of the station are the reason for the postponement. In July, Deutsche Bahn had announced its intention to at least partially open Stuttgart 21 in December 2026.
Long-distance services and some regional services would then run into the new underground station, while some regional services would continue to terminate in the old above-ground terminus station until July 2027, as announced by Deutsche Bahn (DB) at the time.
The company cited the reason for the gradual commissioning as the equalization of closures that are necessary due to the work to connect the new infrastructure to the existing lines. In July, DB Infrastructure Director Berthold Huber said that this would minimize disruption to passengers. Previously, it had been planned to fully commission the underground station in December 2026 and cease operations in the old terminus station.
Commissioning already postponed several times
The project has been under construction since 2010 and commissioning has already been postponed several times, most recently to December 2026. When the financing agreement was signed in 2009, it was assumed that the station would open in 2019.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the reasons for the repeated postponements vary: lawsuits against the project and changes to requirements, such as fire protection. Other factors for the delays include the "geologically challenging subsoil in the Stuttgart city area" and complex approval procedures due to changes in species protection laws.
