Tunnel for the large Wendlinger curve completed
22.02.2024
One last "Glück auf" in Oberboihingen: The tunnel for the large Wendlinger curve has been completed. Deutsche Bahn has been building this addition to the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project on behalf of the state of Baden-Württemberg since mid-2019. The miners have dug around 660 meters of tunnel. With the ceremonial breakthrough, Deutsche Bahn has reached a milestone in the expansion of rail routes in the region. This is because the existing Stuttgart-Tübingen railroad line will be connected to the high-speed line being built on the Filder plain as part of Stuttgart 21 via the small and large Wendlinger Kurve.
Small and large Wendlinger curve
The single-track so-called Kleine Wendlinger Kurve is part of the Stuttgart 21 project. It creates a connection between the new railroad infrastructure in and out of Stuttgart and the Neckartalbahn in and out of Metzingen, Reutlingen and Tübingen.
A second track was initially planned as an option within the framework of Stuttgart 21 without any structural precautions. Due to the expected traffic benefits of a second track for rail traffic in the region, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport commissioned Deutsche Bahn to plan this addition to the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project and to build the second track, known as the Great Wendling Curve.
The second connecting curve, which runs parallel to the Kleine Wendlinger Kurve, will leave the Neckartalbahn on the outskirts of Oberboihingen and then pass under the new Wendlingen-Ulm line in a tunnel. From there, the line will continue towards Stuttgart Airport.
Source: DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH
Mathias Mondel, Head of Tunnel Construction at MAX Bögl for the ZÜBLIN / MAX Bögl consortium:
"The fact that the construction site has progressed so quickly deserves the greatest respect for our team in Wendlingen. We wish them continued success for the upcoming work to install the concrete inner shell and would like to thank our project partners for their trusting and constructive cooperation."
Figures, data and facts about the Große Wendlinger Kurve tunnel
Total length of the large Wendlinger curve, above ground and in the tunnel: approx. 1,600 meters
Length of already completed tunnel in cut-and-cover construction: 110 meters
Length of tunnel using the mining method: 600 meters
Planned commissioning date: December 2026
Contract sum: around 40 million euros
Contractor: Joint venture of Ed. Züblin AG and the Max Bögl Group
Photo credits Photo and infographic: DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH