DEUTSCHE BAHN

Stuttgart station is first and foremost a monument: built during the First World War, it is huge with its high-ceilinged halls and its tower topped with the Mercedes logo. This is a good reference point. It is at the centre of a controversy: the "Stuttgart 21" project to transform this leading station into an underground TGV station has divided the city, or even the state, for several years. The project, which began in 2010, is not expected to be completed until 2024, according to official estimates, five years later than the planned start-up in 2019. What is its objective? The aim of this project is to make Stuttgart a railway junction integrated into the Paris-Bratislava high-speed railway line. The cost also causes an outcry. Its budget, set at €4.5 billion, has increased to €7.6 billion. It therefore includes the construction of the underground station, 60 km of railway track and 16 tunnels. As for you, travellers, you will find yourself in the middle of a construction site. This will not prevent you from taking the train. Trains to Berlin in 5h30, Munich 2h30, Tübingen 1h, Ulm 1h, Schwäbisch Hall 1h10.