The freight train starts in Konrwestheim in the middle of the night, loaded with 80 tons of rails and switch components for Stuttgart 21. The destination of the journey is the new Stuttgart through station: the freight train is one of the first trains to cross the new Neckar bridge and go through the Bad Cannstatt tunnel and brings its freight directly into the north head tunnel of the new through station. #railways #deutschebahn #stuttgart21 ▬ More information ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Deutsche Bahn's comprehensive information platform about the Stuttgart–Ulm railway project: http://www.bahnprojekt-stuttgart-ulm.de/ ▬ What is the railway project ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ The Stuttgart-Ulm railway project consists of two sub-projects: Stuttgart 21, which involves the complete reorganisation of the Stuttgart rail node, and the Wendlingen-Ulm new-build line. Stuttgart 21: Much more than a railway station Stuttgart 21 involves the complete reorganisation of the Stuttgart rail node. The following are being built as part of the project: - Four new stations - 57 kilometres of new railway tracks, which will accommodate speeds up to 250 km/h - 59 kilometres of tunnel tubes - 16 tunnels and culverts - 44 bridges Wendlingen–Ulm new-build line: faster service The Wendlingen-Ulm new-build line is part of the upgraded and new Stuttgart–Augsburg line, a 60 kilometre component of Deutsche Bahn's high-speed network and part of the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project. The following are being built in conjunction with the new-build line: - 60 kilometres of new railway tracks, which will accommodate speeds up to 250 km/h - 61 kilometres of tunnel tubes - 12 tunnels - 37 bridges - Merklingen station (in addition to the project itself) The new-build line will shorten travel time on the Frankfurt–Stuttgart–Munich route and create major benefits for regional and local transport in Baden-Württemberg. Together with Stuttgart 21, the new infrastructure will lay the foundation for more attractive rail transport: - Travel time between Stuttgart and Ulm will be cut nearly in half, to around half an hour on long-distance trains. - In the future, regional trains will take passengers from Stuttgart to Ulm or vice versa in only 41 minutes. - A fast link will be created between the Stuttgart airport and trade fair centre and Ulm. - Traffic will be shifted away from the existing line in the Fils valley, creating capacity on this route for additional rail traffic. - Merklingen station, which was planned and financed separately from the main project, will connect an entire region in the Swabian Jura to the rail network. The four longest tunnels on the new line are the Albvorland Tunnel (8,176 metres) between Wendlingen am Neckar and Kirchheim unter Teck, the Bossler Tunnel (8,806 metres) and the Steinbühl Tunnel (4,847 metres) leading up to the Swabian Jura, and the Albabstieg Tunnel (5,940 metres) between Dornstadt and Ulm. The 485 metre long and 85 metre high Fils valley bridge is the third-highest railway bridge in Germany. It consists of two adjacent bridge structures between the Bossler Tunnel and the Steinbühl Tunnel. The bridge builders had to cross not only the Fils valley, but also the A8 motorway. Much of the new-build line runs parallel to the A8 motorway, protecting the landscape. The lowest point of the line is 271 metres above sea level at the Neckar bridge near Wendlingen. The line reaches its highest point, at 746 metres above sea level, shortly before leaving the Steinbühl Tunnel on the Swabian Jura plateau. The track area at Ulm main station is being rebuilt to connect the station to the new-build line, and a new signalling system is being built. The 61 kilometres of tunnel tubes have been completely excavated. In the Swabian Jura, installation of the railway equipment for the new-build line began at the end of 2018. Some 120 kilometres of track have now been almost completely laid, and the overhead line supports along the route are in place. The expansion of the Stuttgart rail node and the new-build line between Stuttgart and Ulm are expected to benefit more than ten million long-distance passengers throughout Germany each year, and demand is expected to increase by around two million long-distance passengers. The new-build line is listed as a priority requirement in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan, i.e. has been given the highest priority, and is co-financed by the state of Baden-Württemberg and the European Union. The new-build line is scheduled to go into operation in December 2022.