The controversy surrounding the new train station in Stuttgart does not subside

Berlin/Stuttgart (CTK reporter Martin Weiser) - Compared to Prague's Blanka tunnel, the reconstruction project of the main train station in Stuttgart, southern Germany, shares many similarities. It also predominantly takes place underground, is becoming increasingly expensive, and its opening date is being postponed. As in the Czech capital, some local politicians are distancing themselves from it.

When the foundation stone for the new station was laid in September, a large number of invited guests were absent from the ceremony. The Minister President of Baden-Württemberg and one of Germany's most popular politicians, Winfried Kretschmann, the state Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann, and Stuttgart's Mayor, Fritz Kuhn, were all unavoidably engaged at that moment.

Under normal circumstances, laying the foundation stone is an event that politicians wouldn't miss, but with the Stuttgart 21 project, the negative emotions associated with it among many voters make it more beneficial for numerous politicians not to be connected with it.

At first glance, however, the brochures and video animations available at the information booth in the station paint a very appealing picture of the future. A large part of the station from the 1920s, which is among the ten busiest in Germany, is set to be submerged underground in the coming years, thereby freeing up space in the city's center for new commercial areas and a park.

The station will also be newly through-train capable, which will increase its current capacity, as around 250,000 passengers pass through it daily, even with the reduction of tracks to eight, which is half of the current amount. Additionally, the modern architectural design is expected to bring benefits through large round windows that will allow natural light into the underground platforms.

However, a closer look at the details and economic context of the project reveals that it is not as rosy as it seems, showing, among other things, continuously rising costs and a gradually postponed opening date for the new station.

At the time of the very first project, which, in addition to reconstructing Stuttgart's main station, includes better rail connections to the surrounding areas, a total price of approximately 2.46 billion euros was mentioned. This was in the mid-1990s when the German mark was still in use. When construction work began in 2010, the estimated cost had already risen to more than four billion euros.

By the summer of 2013, it had grown to nearly six billion euros, and now Deutsche Bahn, which finances the project together with Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, the federal government, and the European Union, is estimating a bill of around 6.5 billion euros (176 billion crowns). The Federal Court of Audit, however, does not rule out a price tag of around ten billion euros (270 billion crowns) in its analysis.

Some local residents, who at one time demonstrated against the reconstruction in the tens of thousands, are also concerned about the rising costs and the environmental impacts. Alleged technical deficiencies are also facing criticism, including fire safety measures and excessive sloping of platforms.

Despite this, Deutsche Bahn is firmly committed to seeing the project through to completion. Construction is already underway around and beneath the station, which all passengers will experience firsthand as they must navigate tunnels above the construction site to reach the platforms. For the project's opponents, the only consolation now may be that the new station will not open in 2019 as originally planned, but at the earliest two years later. If problems arise, then one could expect it to be delayed until 2024.