The Stuttgart 21 railway project could cost half a billion euros more than was previously assumed. In addition, underground station may not be completed until 2025 instead of as previously planned 2024, Spiegel and news agency dpa reported unanimously, citing group circles. Thus, infrastructure manager Ronald Pofalla proposed to supervisory board to increase risk buffer in project by 500 million euros and postpone opening date by one year to 2025.

The financing framework would refore be 8.2 billion euro instead of 7.7 billion euros as previously assumed. Pofalla had presented proposal on Monday to show a realistic picture of situation, writes mirror.

It was not until November that costs for underground transit station and connecting lines increased by 1.2 billion euros to 7.6 billion euros. Even n re was talk of postponing opening – initially to 2024 – and to plan a furr 300 million euro as a risk buffer. The cost drivers for project include increased construction prices and problems with building ground.

Supervisory board informs about personal liability

The tunnels for station must be driven by problematic anhydrite for construction work. The mineral reacts with water and transforms into plaster. As a result, soil expands strongly – like yeast in heat. The consequences for tunnel tubes are difficult to calculate in advance. According to Spiegel, supervisory board of railway heard a scientist in Europe as luminary for this rock on Monday.

In addition, supervisory board would have also dealt with possible personal consequences for project's cost increase. In this way, lawyers should have informed members of supervisory board wher y could be personally held liable if y were to become more expensive at end. Opponents of Stuttgart 21, among or things, complained against board of railway.

According to report, supervisory board will decide at a meeting on Friday how high it will calculate costs – and who will assume possible additional costs.

Date Of Update: 26 January 2018, 12:02