"It was worth it" - New rail line holds great opportunity for the state's business and science centers and far beyond

The association Bahnprojekt Stuttgart-Ulm e. V. invited three high-ranking members of the association to a discussion in the InfoTurmStuttgart on Monday, November 14, 2022. The mayors of Stuttgart and Ulm as well as the spokesman for the management of DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH spoke about the opportunities and wishes as well as their personal impressions on the occasion of the commissioning of the new line, which is due in just under four weeks. In addition, parliamentary group chairmen from both city parliaments as well as invited youth councillors came to the meeting in order to promote the exchange between the two municipal economic motors of the state. Bernhard Bauer, chairman of the association, moderated the round of talks and expressed his delight at the "communal anticipation of all those present for the commissioning of the first section of the project of the century", which he could grasp with his hands. "I'm rock-solid convinced that in a few years, people will say it was a wise decision to promote and build the rail project."

Quoting Mayor Dr. Frank Nopper: "In 2022 and 2025, our two cities of Stuttgart and Ulm will be connected to each other on the Paris-Vienna-Budapest high-speed line - initially from 2022 at a distance of 42 minutes and from 2025 at a distance of 27 minutes. In the future, Ulm will thus be better connected to Stuttgart's city center via long-distance rail service than many a Stuttgart district via light rail or local bus. This project is great because it enormously strengthens the transport accessibility of our two cities, because it enables the exchange and cross-fertilization of the economic and scientific locations of Stuttgart and Ulm better than ever, and because it opens up completely new perspectives for retail, tourism and culture, which will, however, also result in fruitful competition between the two cities."

Mayor Gunter Czisch was quoted as saying: "The construction of the high-speed line is undoubtedly an enormously important transport project, the significance of which extends from the European to the regional and local level. The Magistrale, of which the new line is a part, will change Europe. The section between Stuttgart and Ulm illustrates this on a smaller scale: the two cities are coming closer together, we are moving closer together - and not just in terms of travel times.

I am convinced that Ulm and Stuttgart will also benefit from closer links to the economic centers of Munich and Frankfurt am Main - and not only them.

And last but not least: The new line is changing the image of our cities and giving new impetus to urban development. What is still waiting to be realized on a larger scale in Stuttgart has already been implemented to a large extent in Ulm. The new station forecourt with a modern underground parking garage and the newly built Sedelhöfe, which convincingly combine retail, office use and housing and form a new piece of the city, create a whole new entrance to downtown Ulm. Ulm and the region were early advocates of this project for the future. Now it can be seen that it has paid off!"

Quote Olaf Drescher: "The new Wendlingen-Ulm line also stands for the art of German engineering and the expertise of the builder Deutsche Bahn: We have built 61 kilometers of tunnels partly in the karst of the Swabian Alb, created a new landmark for Baden-Württemberg with the Filstal Bridge, and are on the move digitally on the high-speed line. All of this gives us a lot of confidence for the S21 commissioning in 2025 as well."

Photographer: Reiner Pfisterer
Rights to use photos: Verein Bahnprojekt Stuttgart-Ulm e. V. Pictures provided may only be used in connection with editorial reporting on this press release.