Four months after the original planned opening of Crossrail, reports have been released today that could push the Elizabeth Line’s inaugural journey back to 2021. But it is far from the first infrastructure project that has run over schedule… and it’s unlikely to be the last. Though many more remain in our far-from-conclusive list, we thought it only fair that we look at some other rail projects around the world that are also experiencing similar time, engineering and budgetary problems, starting with Stuttgart.
Known as Stuttgart 21, plans for a major redevelopment of the city city-centre station began nearly 15 years ago in 2015 but completion of the hub – which will one day comprise part of one of the longest high-speed lines in Europe linking Paris Vienna and Bratislava – won’t be ready until around 2023. The major work that is being undertaken is not expected to affect the services that run through the station, but with the total cost of the project expected to hit nearly €10 billion – four-times the original €2.5 billion budget – that will be of scant consolation to the station’s critics. 75% of the region’s residents are predicted to experience significantly better connections after Stuttgart 21 has been built but it certainly has had its detractors; in 2010 30,000 people marched in protest because of its growing cost and environmental impact.
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Carefully omitting Berlin Shönefeld I see ….