German rail pushes on with controversial Stuttgart station rebuild

Jul 30, 2011, 11:59 GMT

Berlin - German rail operator Deutsche Bahn proceeded Saturday with plans to redesign Stuttgart railway station, ignoring mediation proposals aimed at appeasing angry opponents to the project.

'We are dealing with a sum of more than 700 million euros (1 billion dollars). That would mean 25 per cent of the entire construction volume has been allocated,' Deutsche Bahn's head of infrastructure Volker Kefer told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

'To make clear how serious we are about this: The contracts have been awarded,' Kefer added.

The decision to convert Stuttgart's rail terminus into a modern, underground through-station has met with bitter opposition and months of protest, culminating last year in police clashes which left one man partially blinded.

Mediator Heiner Geissler has proposed a compromise, combining parts of the old overground architecture with modern underground structures.

A referendum on the issue is due to take place in Stuttgart in November, but Deutsche Bahn has refused to await the outcome.

'Of course we will continue to build. We will proceed with this project, as is necessary, sensible and right,' Kefer said.

'I'd like to point out that we have the necessary planning approval and a legally binding financing agreement. This exists for no other idea, including that from Dr Geissler,' the Deutsche Bahn executive added.