Gäubahn drama: VGH rejects construction stop – What does that mean for travelers?

Gäubahn drama: VGH rejects construction stop – What does that mean for travelers?

The Baden-Württemberg Administrative Court (VGH) has rejected the urgent application from Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which was directed against the planned interruption of the Gäubahn as part of the Stuttgart 21 project. The urgent application, which was submitted on March 4, 2025, was aimed at temporarily stopping construction of the Gäubahn route in order to ensure sufficient examination of the climatic effects and the long-term interruption of the rail connection. The decision was published on June 10, 2025, in which the VGH calls for a legally separate consideration of the various planning approval sections and does not see any change in the situation relevant to the decision. The urgent application was rejected on the grounds that the intervention in the railway embankment was still necessary in order to build the new S-Bahn line.

The background to the urgent application is the planning of DB InfraGO, which stipulates that the Gäubahn trains end in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Travelers who want to get to Stuttgart city center have to change to the S-Bahn. In the future, the Gäubahn will only run directly to Stuttgart Central Station again after the Pfaffenstieg Tunnel has been completed, in 2032 at the earliest. In this context, the DUH demanded that Deutsche Bahn should not make any structural changes to the Gäubahn route until a decision has been made on the application for a partial revocation of the planning approval decision.
[Law and Politics](https://www.rechtundpolitik.com/justiz/vgh-baden-wuerttemberg/gaeubahn-bleibt-vorerst-unterbrochen-deutsche-umwelthilfe-scheitert-mit-eil Motion/) reports that the ongoing disruption is leading to significant challenges for rail users, particularly given the lack of legal standards and funding for the Pfaffenstieg Tunnel.

The demands of German Environmental Aid

The DUH argues that the separation of the Gäubahn from the Stuttgart train station must be prohibited by the courts until a decision is made in the main proceedings. Jürgen Resch, Federal Managing Director of the DUH, expresses concerns, above all that Deutsche Bahn could create a “fait accompli” while the terminus station continues to operate in dual mode to the underground station. The Gäubahn, a 146-year-old railway line, connects cities such as Milan, Zurich, Singen and Stuttgart and is therefore of considerable regional importance.

The DUH made it clear in its press release that it considers the separation of the Gäubahn in April 2026 to be unnecessary as there are currently no secured plans or necessary financing for the Pfaffenstieg Tunnel. This is supported by the fact that on February 13, 2025, the Stuttgart Administrative Court decided that the planning approval decisions for Stuttgart 21 do not contain any time restrictions for the interruption of the Gäubahn. This information was corroborated by the DUH's lawyer, Remo Klinger, who questions the legality of the planned interruption.

The decision of the VGH, which is documented by file number 5 S 385/25, therefore remains unappealable. The DUH will continue to take action against the separation of the Gäubahn and hopes to obtain legal protection for railway users until a final decision on the main issue has been made.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe emphasizes that the south of Baden-Württemberg, Switzerland and northern Italy should not be separated from the Stuttgart railway junction in order to ensure mobility and connectivity to the regions to secure in the long term.