Around 110 of 120 kilometers of tunnels in the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project driven - Celebration at the portal of the tunnel in Stuttgart-Fasanenhof - Dr. Richard Lutz: "Stuttgart-Ulm rail project makes important contribution to strong rail as environmentally friendly mode of transport of the future".

DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH celebrated the end of machine driving at the Filder Tunnel with the participation of numerous guests of honor. The ceremony took place at the portal of the Filder Tunnel in StuttgartFasanenhof. Speakers included Dr. Richard Lutz, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Bahn AG, Winfried Hermann, Minister of Transport of the State of Baden-Württemberg, Herald Ruijters, Director "Investment, Innovative and Sustainable Transport" at the European Commission, Fritz Kuhn, Lord Mayor of the State Capital Stuttgart, Karl-Heinz Strauss,Chairman of the Board of Porr AG, and tunnel godmother Tülay Schmid.
With the end of machine driving in the construction of the Filder Tunnel, around 110 of 120 kilometers of tunnel tubes in the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project have now been driven.

"Germany needs a strong railroad. The Stuttgart-Ulm rail project will make an important contribution to this. It will connect millions of people - in the region, in Baden-Württemberg, in Germany and throughout Europe. The Filder Tunnel as a hinge between the valley basin, the airport and the new line is an essential part of the project. I would like to thank all the miners and engineers for their work on the tunnel. Here, construction and engineering skills have created something extraordinary," said Dr. Richard Lutz.

"The Filder Tunnel and the new line from Stuttgart to Ulm will speed up regional and long-distance traffic in the direction of Ulm but also to Tübingen. At the same time, the Filder Tunnel will also create a new fast connection from the city center to the airport and the trade fair center. This can also effectively relieve the S-Bahn," said Winfried Hermann.

"We are bringing Europeans closer together, because the new rail hub will not only benefit people in the region, but also travelers between Paris and Munich and beyond. The greater capacity of the rail hub and the reduced travel times will
Strengthen high-speed trains as an alternative to air transport," said Herald Ruijters, representing Violeta Bulc, European Commission Commissioner for Transport.

"This is an important day on the way to the completion of the Stuttgart 21 rail project. The city has a great interest in the project moving forward quickly, because we want to create the new Rosenstein Quarter on the vacated track areas behind the main station. This is where people will live, work and enjoy culture in the future. I would like to pay a big compliment to the miners: With great responsibility, you have done heavy work in the tunnel, thus clearing the way for a new city district," said Fritz Kuhn.

"Tunneling is one of the most demanding disciplines in civil engineering and at the same time one of our core competencies. With the end of machine tunneling, we mark another milestone in the realization of Germany's longest double-tube rail tunnel. We are very pleased to further demonstrate our technical expertise and solution competence for Deutsche Bahn in the context of the most ambitious tunnel construction project in Central Europe," said Karl-Heinz Strauss. "I warmly congratulate the tunnel builders on the final breakthrough of the Filder Tunnel. How difficult the conditions are for the miners even today, despite the latest technology, is often hidden - literally - underground for most people. I am glad and proud that "my" miners have carried on their work so successfully with skill, diligence and cohesion, and I wish them continued happiness and good health," said tunnel patron Tülay Schmid.
After ecumenical words of blessing, the guests of honor signed the symbolic last segment of the Filder Tunnel.

The Filder Tunnel
The Filder Tunnel consists of two tubes, each 9,468 meters long. The Filder Tunnel is the longest tunnel of the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project and will be the third longest rail tunnel in Germany when completed. A total of around 52,000 precast concrete segments were installed in both tubes. The two tubes of the Filder Tunnel were largely driven using the "SUSE" tunnel boring machine. In the summer of 2018, the tunnel boring machine, which is around 120 meters long, was turned around underground in order to then begin the fourth and final shield drive. With the end of the fourth shield drive, the
Machine driving in the Filder Tunnel completed.
In 2011, the Filder Tunnel and the access road to Untertürkheim and Obertürkheim were awarded to a consortium comprising Porr, G. Hinteregger & Söhne Baugesellschaft, ÖSTU-Stettin Hoch- und Tiefbau and Swietelsky Tunnelbau. The contract value for the Filder Tunnel and the access road to Untertürkheim and Obertürkheim totals around 720 million euros. The start of machine driving in the Filder Tunnel was in 2014.