Pfaffensteig Tunnel: Preparatory Work for Excavation Is Underway
The expansion and modernization of the international Stuttgart–Zurich rail link is gaining momentum. On February 9, 2026, Deutsche Bahn began preparatory work for the excavation of the Pfaffensteig Tunnel.
North of Stuttgart Airport and the A8 motorway, earthworks are underway at the central construction site. The German government and Deutsche Bahn recently concluded the financing agreement for the Pfaffensteig Tunnel, and in December 2025; the Federal Railway Authority (EBA) granted the building permit for the majority of the project.
On February 9, 2026, Deutsche Bahn began preparatory work for the excavation of the Pfaffensteig Tunnel
Credit/Quelle: DB Projekt Stuttgart–Ulm GmbH
1.7 Billion Euros Allocated for Financing
At the end of January, German Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, together with the CEO of DB InfraGO AG, Dr Philipp Nagl, and representatives from parliament and the federal states, had announced financing agreements for rail projects totalling 2.5 billion euros. As part of these agreements, the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) had also secured funding for the Pfaffensteig Tunnel in the Stuttgart area. The federal budget has allocated around 1.7 billion euros to the tunnel project under the financing agreement.
“Another Piece of the Puzzle for Stuttgart 21”
“I am very pleased that, in addition to the record sums for the renovation and modernisation of the existing network, the federal government is also securing funding for important new construction and expansion projects,” said Dr Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO AG. The Pfaffensteig Tunnel will be “an important component for the Germany-wide integrated timetable on the Gäubahn line and another piece of the puzzle for Stuttgart 21”.
“With this approximately 11-kilometre-long tunnel, we are connecting the Gäubahn line to the future Stuttgart hub, thereby strengthening the European connection between Stuttgart and Zurich in the long term,” said Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder.
In future, the Pfaffensteig Tunnel will connect the Gäubahn railway in the Böblingen-Goldberg area directly to the airport long-distance railway station. The journey time on this section will be reduced from around 22 minutes at present to around 7 minutes. From the airport long-distance railway station, there will be a direct connection to the future Stuttgart 21 main station as well as a connection to Ulm/Munich.
Completion Scheduled for 2032
The schedule envisages that the Pfaffensteig Tunnel will go into operation at the end of 2032. Planning approval section (PFA) 1, submitted in April 2024, covers the section of the Pfaffensteig Tunnel to be constructed using underground tunnelling methods, with a length of approximately 10.8 km. PFA 2, submitted in April 2025, covers the section of the tunnel to be constructed using the cut-and-cover method, with a length of around 300 m, as well as the above-ground sections up to the Sindelfingen-Goldberg S-Bahn station.
