Overview

• The Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed rail line, launched at a cost of €4 billion, was designed to support both passenger and freight traffic but remains largely unused for freight.
• The steep gradient of the line makes it unsuitable for standard heavy freight trains, limiting its utility to light freight trains, which are rarely used in practice.
• Deutsche Bahn confirmed no additional bookings have been made by other operators for freight services on the line, which was initially expected to carry 17 freight trains daily under a 2009 financing agreement.
• The line has reduced ICE travel time between Stuttgart and Munich by 20 minutes but has drawn criticism for being economically and ecologically inefficient.
• Critics, including journalist Arno Luik and Baden-Württemberg’s transport minister Winfried Hermann, have described the project as emblematic of systemic planning and fiscal failures in Germany’s rail modernization efforts.