Overview
- CEO Evelyn Palla told the supervisory board and project partners that the December 2026 in-service plan is off.
- The delay stems from issues in the Digitaler Knoten Stuttgart, including pending approval of Hitachi components for ETCS-only operations.
- Deutsche Bahn has not set a new commissioning date, with partners now expecting 2027 at the earliest and a revised timetable likely by mid-2026.
- The previously planned staggered start—long-distance and some regional services in December 2026 with remaining regional trains staying above ground until mid-2027—is scrapped.
- Costs have risen to roughly €11–11.8 billion, and a court ruling requires DB to bear the overruns alone.