Throngs flock to the Stuttgart-21 construction site - an October 2025 trial operation opens up public access
Stuttgart's S21 deep-level station, a significant part of the city's major rail and urban redevelopment scheme, is currently in the final stages of construction. As of August 2025, the project is primarily focused on completing the underground tracks and platforms, with tunnel construction being a major element.
The tunnel construction, spanning approximately 15 km in length, has been a significant part of the overall scheme. Currently, construction is advancing towards the final stages, with the installation of underground station infrastructure, ventilation, and systems ongoing. The aim is to open the new station within the next few years.
Despite controversies and delays in earlier years, recent progress has been steady. Engineering firms have been supporting construction logistics and underground research infrastructure, ensuring the project stays on track.
Interested visitors had the opportunity to tour the construction site over the Easter weekend of 2024, with a total of around 115,000 visitors attending. The German Railway stands by the opening date of December 2026 for the commissioning of the deep-level station.
Three lattice shells, in addition to the Bonatz building, form the main entrances to the deep-level station. All eight tracks in the station have now been laid. One of the distribution bridges above the tracks and the lattice shell of the future south entrance of the deep-level station were viewable during the open construction site days.
The deep-level station of Stuttgart 21 features a total of 27 light eyes, which bring daylight into the station. The trial operation of the first trains under power in the 450-meter-long deep-level station is scheduled to begin in October.
Once completed, the freed-up track areas are planned to become apartments for 10,000 people in the Rosenstein quarter. Mark Theilemann is the project leader of Stuttgart 21's deep-level station. The total costs of the Stuttgart 21 project, including the deep-level station, new tunnels, a new parking station, a new long-distance station at Stuttgart Airport, the digitalization of the Stuttgart rail node, the new track from Stuttgart to Ulm, and additional expenses, amount to approximately eleven billion euros plus a buffer of 500 million euros.
For the absolute latest detailed updates, checking specialized German infrastructure sources or official Stuttgart 21 project websites would be necessary, as search results do not provide direct recent updates on this station.
