The design speed of the approximately 25.2 km line is mostly 250 km/h (155 mph). As of 2024, it is planned to enter in commercial service in December 2026 (two years delay compared to the expectation from 2017).[4][5][6]
Route
The line runs from Stuttgart station to the south through the 9,468 metre long Filder Tunnel and surface southwest of Stuttgart-Plieningen near Stuttgart Airport and the A8 autobahn. It then runs to the east parallel with the A8 on its north side for about 10 kilometres to the Denkendorf service area. Between Denkendorf and Neuhausen the line runs under the A 8 in a 768 m long Denkendorf Tunnel and then runs parallel with it on its south side to the southeast. On the western abutment of the Neckar Bridge at Wendlingen the line becomes the proposed Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed line.
Airport and exhibition centre to Airport loop line, Airport curve and S-Bahn line
Schematic track plan in the airport area
A8 north of Echterdingen looking west: here the new line runs parallel with the autobahn.
Exit of the Filder Tunnel with subsequent parallel location to the A8.
References
^DB Projekt GmbH Stuttgart 21 (ed.): Umgestaltung des Bahnknotens Stuttgart: Ausbau- und Neubaustrecke Stuttgart – Augsburg. Bereich Stuttgart–Wendlingen mit Flughafenanbindung. Planfeststellungsabschnitt 1.2 Fildertunnel. Bau-km 0.432 – km 10,030 Übersichtshöhenplan Gleisplanung, km 0,432 ... 2,191. Plan of November 2001, released on 10 December 2001, Anlage 2.6 of the zoning decision, sheet 1 of 4, plan established by order of the Federal Railway Office, Karlsruhe/Stuttgart branch.