Overview

• Deutsche Bahn cites a preliminary cost estimate of about €5.5 billion, noting that inflation and final construction methods are not yet factored in.
• The new line is planned largely along Autobahn 8 and would cut ICE travel time between Augsburg and Ulm from over 40 minutes to 26 minutes.
• If lawmakers give the go-ahead, the next phases are draft planning, plan-approval procedures, and then execution planning.
• DB says construction start, duration, and final costs remain open, with planning and approvals typically consuming two-thirds of a project’s timeline.
• Alongside the new-build, DB plans to modernize the existing 85-kilometre line for regional traffic, though this corridor is not in the works scheduled through 2027 and sits within a wider overhaul running to 2036.