Stuttgart 21

摘要

In broad terms, the plan to extend south western Germany's high-speed rail link sounds simple. A line from Mannheim to Stuttgart was completed in 1991, and the idea now is to push a further 90 km or so southeast to Ulm. Of course threading new high speed lines into such big urban centres - Stuttgart has more than 600,000 inhabitants and Ulm some 125,000 - is never easy, but the complications in Stuttgart make this an incredibly complex construction project. The overarching project for Stuttgart is called Stuttgart 21, referencing the 2021 completion date, and it encompasses a lot more than just the high-speed rail link. One of the biggest issues in the city is that the main station is currently a terminus, with the lines facing in completely the wrong direction. Trains currently leave in a north-easterly direction, so not only does the station need to be converted to a through facility, but the tracks need to realigned by 90° to face west towards Mannheim and east to Ulm.