Overview
- The SWR/ARD film aired on Monday and prompted unusually frank comments from Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla, who said the project's report shows grave deficiencies in planning, control and risk management.
- Independent engineers from Ingenieure 22 warned the tunnel fire‑safety concept has 'unkalkulierbare Restrisiken' and said the evacuation plan that aims to move up to 1,800 people in 12 minutes could fail in a severe incident.
- Current official projections set the earliest in‑service date at late 2031, but experts in the coverage say both timeline and budget remain likely to change as technical and safety problems persist.
- Media and the documentary tally core station costs near €14.5 billion and up to €25.4 billion when related regional works are included, reflecting decades of scope changes, construction errors and digitalization failures.
- Stuttgart 21 has a long history of public protest and political controversy, and the documentary has renewed calls for accountability, possible policy scrutiny of big infrastructure governance, and closer oversight of safety and cost controls.