THE internal audit of the troubled Stuttgart 21 project commissioned by German Rail’s (DB) CEO Evelyn Palla has revealed significant shortcomings, with the report highlighting serious deficiencies in planning, control, and risk management.

“The existing process management proved insufficient to safely manage a major project of this complexity,” DB says.

According to DB, the delays will cost an extra €3bn, bringing the total projected value to €14.5bn. “The majority of these additional costs stem from the work still required for commissioning,” DB says.  

According to the audit, “the commissioning date of the end of 2026 was, from today's perspective, unrealistic based on the underlying assumptions and the identified risks.” The report also highlights “organisational shortcomings in processes and controls, inadequate coordination at key interfaces, and potential for improvement in proactive management.”

“To put it bluntly: I am appalled by the results of the group audit,” Palla says. “The results are not only appalling to me, but also to the public, especially the people of Stuttgart and all railway employees who give their best for our customers every day.” 

Five phases

DB says it will make major changes to project organisation, both personnel and future management. In addition, the remainder of the project will be launched in phases between December 2027 and 2033 under a plan developed by the new management team at DB Project Stuttgart-Ulm (PSU). 

  • December 2027: a direct pedestrian connection will open between the city centre and the old terminus station through the Bonatz building and across the roof of the future main station. Retail facilities in the Bonatz building will open in 2028
  • December 2030: the long-distance station at Stuttgart airport will open initially for regional trains followed by connections to the new main station in 2031 
  • December 2031: the new Stuttgart Central station opens. Long-distance trains and a large number of regional trains will call at the through station. The old terminus station will continue to operate for Bad Cannstatt trains until mid-2032 when it will finally close.
  • July 2032: the digitised and extended S-Bahn main line and the Mittnachtstraße/Rosenstein S-Bahn station open, and
  • December 2033:  the 10.8km Pfaffensteig Tunnel opens. The tunnel connects the Gäu Railway via the airport to the Stuttgart 21 infrastructure. The tunnel will cut the journey time between Stuttgart and Zürich by about 15 minutes.  

DB says the main reasons for the new commissioning plan are:   

  • the digitisation of the railway hub has proven to be significantly more challenging than could have been foreseen a few years ago  
  • planning processes had not reached the required level of maturity  
  • the technical building, built in 2013, is no longer suitable for today’s needs, and  
  • a delayed response to a change in power supply standards, requiring a complete redesign. 

The new project plan takes account of the complex inter-relationships between Stuttgart 21 and several associated projects: Stuttgart Digital Hub, Gäu Railway expansion, and the refurbishment of the Bonatz building at Stuttgart main station. The PSU will become the commissioning organisation, enabling it to manage the complex processes reliably. 

Palla says the decision to revise the commissioning schedule was extremely difficult. "We have not met expectations regarding earlier deadlines, which I deeply regret," she says.

“The new management team for Stuttgart 21 has now developed a plan that abandons unrealistic assumptions. Risks have been thoroughly analysed and reassessed. Honesty and realism have been introduced into the project. Only in this way can we regain lost trust."

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