This Transit System is EXTREMELY Complicated! | Stuttgart S-Bahn & Stadtbahn

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Stuttgart might seem like a car lover's paradise at first glance - both Porsche & Mercedes-Benz have headquarters there after all - but it's still a German city, and that means a city with a very good rapid transit system. Let's take a closer look!
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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!
Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.

[@RMTransit]

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[@f.g.9466]

@@barrycaplin1394 It's just a guy doing videos on public transit and urbanism, there's really nothing here worth being that mad about. Please step back and take a moment to reflect and take control of your emotions and thoughts, go find the focus and guidance you need.

[@strogelvauss]

I can tell you from first-hand experience that falling asleep in the S4 and ending up in a dark train waiting in the loop at Schwabstraße to turn around is an experience that will not necessarily improve the quality of your day.

[@jjtheone1232]

I've woken up several times in the SSB center in Vaihingen 😂

[@derstuttgarter84]

You lived my dream

[@BLACKSTA361]

As a Kid I used to have nightmares about that exact experience galling asleep on the U5 amd waiting in a dark train at Alexanderplatz Berlin. My condolences

[@Imthemasteroftheweb]

If you sleep long enough in the S4 you drive back with the S5 and think: back to Ludwigsburg and try again 😂

[@cmjones01]

@@Imthemasteroftheweb a friend of mine, going back to Favoritepark from Stuttgart, woke up somewhere north of Favoritepark. He had the presence of mind to get off at the next station and catch the next train in the other direction, only to find himself going north again. It turned out that while he was asleep he'd been all the way to Marbach (where S4 terminated at the time) and started going back in the other direction! Had to get off and change trains again...

[@Dukhanstmichmal]

As a former Stuttgart resident i have to say i absolutely love the U-Bahn. Where the S-Bahn keeps doing DB things like having long delays and poor reliability, the U-Bahn just works. You can get anywhere in the city, quick, easy and comfortable. Especially when paired up with the SSBs also pretty dense and reliable bus network.

[@redsocks_der_allerechte]

so true. I'm currently living in Esslingen. S1 isnt too reliable.

[@8tonystark8]

U-Bahn is only in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Nürnberg. Stuttgart has Stadtbahn

[@achim8239]

@@8tonystark8 Oh not this old argument again. How do you defione "U-Bahn"? Gauge? Percentage of underground network? Overhead vs. side-rail power supply?

[@psymaine1417]

@@achim8239 a U-Bahn have no crossings with other types of traffic like cars, people or bikes.

[@hypernewlapse]

@@8tonystark8Its literally u bahn it says so on the signs

[@kaischollenberger8668]

Yessss finally Stuttgart. You mentioned Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, but it would have been nice to also mention Bosch as the world's largest automotive supplier. With large office buildings on one side of the tracks at the Feuerbach S-Bahn station and a huge manufacturing plant on the other. Similar to the stations of the Porsche and Mercedes plants, thousands of Bosch employees arrive in Feuerbach by S-Bahn and U-Bahn.

[@jobw]

The headquarters of Bosch on a hill near Gelingen is car+bus only, though. Bosch was not allowed to build a skyscraper in order to upgrade their site in Stuttgart-West and moved in the 1960s to Gerlingen.

[@jkbo0711]

Do not forget the big (an relatively new) research campus from Bosch in Renningen on an old airport :D Surely its not random that they chose Renningen with connections in both directions Böblingen and Feuerbach. Also they have an own bus line through Böblingen in rush hour.

[@elogy890]

I moved to Stuttgart about two years ago, and changing at Charlottenplatz still is an absolute nightmare since I always end up walking in the wrong direction initially. EDIT: A nice, niche bit of trivia: The Stadtbahn trains actually have all-wheel (or all-axle) drive so they can manage the steep gradients!

[@holzhobelgruen9759]

understandable

[@Delibro]

Yes, and as far as I know those all axle driven Stadtbahn trains were built exclusively for Stuttgart, cus they needed it for the steep parts, especially line 15.

[@onurji4311]

Yes I mentioned the same issue with my comment. It feels like walking the stairs of hogwards, right? You go up on the one side, come down on another. Those stairs you wanted to attempt end somewhere else 😅 only when I moved next to charlottenplatz and I was kind of forced to use this station, I learned the connections. After 25 years living in stuttgart 😂

[@_RafaelKr]

Actually I find it's not too hard after using it multiple times, you just need to know which line and in which direction you need to take and have a look at all the signs. The DB-, VVS- and Mobility Stuttgart-Apps are all pretty helpful to find which line and direction you need :) But I agree - the first time there I was completely lost.

[@p.s.224]

I don’t think it is too complicated, but I spent most of my life in Stuttgart. What sucks however is changing from lines 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 or 15 that run south to lines 1, 2, 4, 9, 14 that run east. You need to pass under the former lines, then walk up the stairs again to pass over the latter ones before you get to the right platform.

[@alexanderlammers6980]

Yes, the city I live in. The mentioned complexity of station design is basically a result of the philosophy of a Stadtbahn, where you pick the right RoW mode where necessary. Tunnels in the tight city center, usage of existing space for semi street running, or independent track where the space is there. This allows you to pick whatever your requirements demand and not lock your self in to some standard.

[@RMTransit]

Of course, it’s just something I think those used to say Paris would find interesting! That’s “light rail” for you

[@jobw]

The "U" portion of the U15 has another impressive feat: With 8,5% it is the (or one of) the steepest normal gauge adhesion railways in Europe.

[@sethanix3969]

The steepest "adhesion railway" in Germany is a section in the old town of Mainz - reaching 10,8% if I remember correctly - but this runs on meter gauge. The Pöstlingsbergbahn in Austria tops this by only 0,8% on a short section of its tracks making Mainz the second steepest I know of, followed by Stuttgart.

[@jkbo0711]

Also the U-Bahn travells as much kilometers at one day than travelling once around the world (around 40k km). Every day.

[@jochenkraus7016]

@@sethanix3969 The old line 15 was also meter gauge.

[@jamalgibson8139]

I just have to say, after watching this video of a major car manufacturing city in Germany that still has quite an impressive rail network, just imagine what Detroit, and the state of Michigan in general, could have done if they built something like this instead of destroying half the city to build highways.

[@Sp4mMe]

Stuttgart is still a car sewer, believe it or not. Its location between hills in a river valley and "rational city planning" after everything was turned to rubble during WW2 meant they drove major arterial roads right through, and to this day it's one of the worst places in Germany to get stuck in traffic in (doesn't help that the road layout is as confusing as everything else). Also tends to be one of the cities with the worst air quality in Germany (since everything you don't want to keeps staying around in those valleys). Of course, easy to imagine how it'd be even worse had it not at least a semi-decent public transportation system ...

[@jamalgibson8139]

@@Sp4mMe Oh I believe it. Even though it wasn't focused on, I could see those major arterials. Unfortunately with two major car factories, I don't see the city ever giving those streets back to the people, at least not in the next 100 years, but at least the people of the city have alternatives to driving.

[@cooltwittertag]

its funny how Stuttgart is basically seen as a hellhole by us germans concerning actually getting around in the region and with all the smog it has

[@jobw]

​@@jamalgibson8139Mercedes/Porsche are sold all over the world and not only in Stuttgart. The city has every opportunity to develop itself into a city of the future.

[@jobw]

​@@cooltwittertag​@cooltwittertag Munich with "Landshuter Allee" is more dirty now than Stuttgart "Neckartor" ;)

[@Gokatgo]

When Stuttgart 21 was planned in the late 90s and early 2000s rail was on the downturn. Sadly this means that the 8 platforms are painfully undersized today and I really hope they put some stub ends underground adjacent to the next station to be built cut and cover to add more capacity.

[@aphextwin5712]

Unfortunately, the latter idea has been abandoned for being too expensive. Instead more services will be routed to bypass the main station (from Feuerbach to Cannstatt and from the Vaihingen via the Panoramastrecke to Cannstatt). Even just keeping part of the above ground platforms to provide a service to the South (Singen/Gäubahn) until a new tunnel (Pfaffensteig) connecting that line to airport and thus the main station is built in the 2030s, is currently seen by all relevant parties as too expensive.

[@Gokatgo]

@@aphextwin5712 Well that sucks. When was this announced?

[@Talon5516-tx3ih]

@@Gokatgo Some time in March IIRC. But I wonder if it will come back. The plan was for more S-Bahns reaching the city centre, which I think will be badly needed plus some extra platforms for MEX trains to save capacity in the main station. Nothing really to do with the Deutschland Takt (which sounds like a terrible idea and I'm pleased it's not coming until "2070"),

[@MajorLazer182]

@@aphextwin5712 und das macht mich so sauer... hätte man einfach den Kopfbahnhof in Kombination mit dem Tunnelbahnhof behalten, wäre allen geholfen (ein bisschen wie Berlin HBf, wo viele ICEs unten halten und oben viele REs und S Bahnen abfahren)

[@theodorflammer2869]

Especially that the current main station is now one of the best main stations in germany regarding delays.

[@mysterium368]

As a frequent visitor to Stuttgart, the Stadtbahn system is not that difficult to use. 4:00 While the railway line goes indeed towards the Black Forest, S1 terminates before reaching it yet. 5:06 Ludwigsburg, not Ludwigsberg. 13: 46 In fact, they used to be operated like a railway, but with traditional tramstock. 18:29 Berliner Platz actually has three! pairs of platforms, as its a very big intersection.

[@RMTransit]

It’s not difficult to use, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t complicated!

[@mysterium368]

@@RMTransit You're right. Most of the complexity comed prolly from still sharing a lot of elements with a tram network instead a Stadtbahn system with only trunk and branch lines like Hannover or Frankfurt.

[@nicolasblume1046]

@@RMTransit I would say it's complex, but not complicated! Two different things

[@Jytami]

11:51 120 m high platform lmaoooo

[@nicolasblume1046]

@@Jytami that's the correct term. It's a 120m long platform, which is of the "high platform" type (about 1m tall)

[@CharlsonS]

The "U" was also supposed to separate the new Stadtbahn lines from the older tram network during the transition phase. The most notable thing is that Stuttgart is the only Stadtbahn city that managed to completely transition from the previous tram network, while also building the infrastructure that is necessary to make such a system work well, which means getting most necessary tunnels, dedicated row's and platforms built. Other cities like Hannover still lack critical tunnel infrastructure, or have have gotten themselves a non compatible low floor system for the sake of avoiding to build high platforms (e.g. Düsseldorf) or worse, who did both (Cologne). This dedication lead stuttgart to even getting tunnels built below outer villages and towns, so the Stadtbahn can avoid geographical constraints. The DT8 trains are also the absolute best in terms of comfort you can find on the tram/ Stadtbahn market. Not many vehicles can cope with some of the steep gradients in and around the the city.

[@EppelheimTV]

The weirdest thing about Hannover lacking tunnel infrastructure is the fact that they already have platforms built under Steintor and Hbf station for a new D-tunnel, which got cancelled by the SPD and the green party, two German parties that are actually in favour of public transit. Currently, the D-West dead-ends at a useless station after Hbf and D-South feeds onto the C-tunnel, which is over capacity. I really hope that Hannover will build the D-tunnel one day. Regarding Düsseldorf: I don't think that it was a bad idea that the Wehrhahn-Linien were built as a low-floor system, as these lines still share many sections with classic tram lines. I really do not want to see the new messy solution the Rheinbahn wants to implement in Eller once they convert their high-floor Stadtbahn lines all to "actual high floor".

[@ft4709]

Whilst I agree that the DT8 is unparalleled as far as passenger comfort is concerned, I do think the fact that Stuttgart felt the need to convert every line to Stadtbahn is more of a detriment. Frankfurt (or even Düsseldorf) fares a lot better by having both modes available. Instead of converting U15 and U2 to Stadtbahn, it might have been better to build a surface level relieve line. That would have opened up possibilities for further extensions. Plus U15's short 40 m trains decrease the over-all capacity on the main trunk line. Not to mention there are several bus corridors that would be suited for a tram service, but the DT8's insane turn radius means construction would be far to expensive.

[@lm25071]

I live near stuttgart and was so surprised of the two system platforms in cologne 😆 Was always wondering to what side of the underground station i would have to go, the low or high platform side.

[@CharlsonS]

@EppelheimTV Düsseldorf should have built the Wehrhahntunnel longer from the beginning as originally planned tbh and accommodate the approaching tracks for 2.65 m wide high floor trains instead of cutting corners and building a glorified underground tramway.

[@burgerpommes2001]

@@ft4709 if they wanted to they could build high floor trams with shorter segments

[@magichulk]

Actually, next month, I'm starting to work as a transit model engineer and strategic planner for the SSB (planning and operating company of the U-lines and buses in Stuttgart). I'm originally from the metro area, but this video was a very neat summary and update of all the lines. So I enjoyed this video even more than the others. Thanks! :)

[@samu-4k]

U7 muss nach Esslingen verlängert werden!

[@alexsavastru8125]

@@samu-4k U7 connecting to Esslingen would be wonderful but I doubt there's any real political desire to link Esslingen any further, as the city already has an S-bahn connection. Maybe only going up near Denkendorf and then to Berkheim would be a good investment, alleviating traffic in these areas and serving thousands more people with easy access to the HBF.

[@TCOphox]

Yeah that's what surprises me about Germany as a Southeast Asian. Seeing a train that arguably looks like a metro train serve both underground train stations, overground platform-level stations, tram stations, and either run as a train on its own tracks or goes on the road like a tram. NGL first time seeing it it felt like a fever dream.

[@hammerth1421]

It's a very impressive system because it really feels like a system rather than randomly connected lines. All parts are working together to achieve the goal of moving people around the Stuttgart metro area. I especially like how the terminus or almost-terminus of one line is often used to connect with another line rather than having it become more and more dead and less connected to other parts of the network the further it gets out into the periphery.

[@xmamam2x]

Even if the line end with no other connection to another train, the SSB has an amazing Bus network, connecting places. Birkach (the only place in Stuttgart without a single rail stop) and Plieningen (no main line connection + end station) rely heavily on busses and are connected perfectly

[@SmokeyBCN]

19:00 worth noting that until recently, U13 (and U16) ran straight across a bridge over the Neckar near Wilhelma directly to Bad Cannstatt, such that it crossed the U2 perpendicularly. However that bridge, along with a smaller one adjacent to it, has since been closed to all motorized traffic due to structural issues. The U13 & 16 therefore now have to run past Wilhelma, sharing track with the U14, and turning onto the already very heavily used König-Karls bridge, sharing the track with the U1, U2 and U11. Thankfully the dual gauge turning onto the bridge still exists for use by the heritage tram, before this situation it was not an often used connection. If, god forbid, any structural issues would be found with the König-Karls bridge, then stuttgart's multimodal infrastructure would really be in trouble. An enhancement I really think is necessary to add some redundancy would be connecting the U14 and U2 over the Reinhold-Maier bridge at Münster, which for now is the last usable river crossing until reaching central Cannstatt.

[@xmamam2x]

Agreed. İt would also divert from the heavily used Mercedes-Straße station

[@xmamam2x]

I spent more time waiting to finally pass that station rather than the actual ride

[@the_retag]

how long untill the bridge is rebuilt?

[@markchorlton]

Great video! I work for the SSB in the Stuttgart Tram Museum (Straßenbahnmuseum) and found this a pretty good overview. I must take this opportunity to recommend our museum for learn8ng about the history of trams and the transition to light rail with lots of historic vehicles on display and heritage rides every Sunday. And soon there will be an English language audioguide to help those who dont read German!

[@Korschtal]

I second this reccomendation; I visited with family from the UK and had a great time, with very enthusiastic and knowledgable staff. Greetings from Ostfildern...

[@derlaurenz]

Thank you Reece, if you actually plan on covering all German mass transit systems, you'll have enough potential content for months .... :-)

[@toms5996]

His channel is absolutely great. Not only showing the current transit systems but also showing problem points and how the network helps the city.

[@RMTransit]

That’s the plan, I’ll try and do one every couple of months!

[@LunaDragofelis]

If you do Augsburg, I could supply you with footage and photos.

[@jan-lukas]

And I would do cologne, including the hole in the ground where the city's archive once stood. And there's a lot of S-Bahn expansion coming up here, which I think will revolutionize transit here in the next 10 to 15 years

[@silberpfeil1098]

@@RMTransit I have to say, you should do Hannover, the original Stadtbahn, and a very expansive S-Bahn network

[@greghuang2314]

I visited Stuttgart in April! The Stadtbahn felt similar to LA Metro, but with far more lines and redundancy. And the S-Bahn is way better than Metrolink in LA. Also a sidenote, nearby Esslingen am Neckar has one of only three trolleybus systems in Germany. It's insane to think that this relatively tiny and less known city is way better transit wise than LA.

[@Lukas-gc3wn]

Stuttgart is the 6th largest City in Germany, i wouldn't really call it small

[@urbanfile3861]

Stuttgart has one of the most interesting transit network in Europe, IMO. Because of its uniqueness. For istance i find also interesting how stadtbahn infrastracture get out of the urban fabric to reach detached towns, often getting in to a tunnel to reach their core.

[@jobw]

Great video! Some corrections: S6 is the Black Forest line - the railway is even called "Württembergische Schwarzwaldbahn". S1 is going to the southern "Gäu" landscapes. Stadtbahn "Line E" even goes underground one more time in Weilimdorf. Some more details I didn't see in the first comments: U13/U16 used to go more directly to Bad Cannstatt but a bridge over the Neckar had to be closed due to unexpected aging. U11 in long configuration skips one of the Berlin Platz stops because the platform is too short! The Stadtbahn has has two more lines U16 and U19 which mostly double existing lines on weekdays. The U19 additionally serves Neckarpark/Wasen on small events instead of U11.

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

Yes, the S-6 doesn't actually reach the Black Forest - it terminates at Weil der Stadt - but the abandoned line from Weil der Stadt to Calw is currently being re-instated, though not as an extension of the S6 unfortunately. It will have a separate identity as the Hermann Hesse Bahn, but it will take passengers into the northern Black Forest . . .

[@DerNoergler]

To not build a proper U-Bahn-System (as originally intended) was a pretty clever decision in the 1960s - Stuttgart saved a ton of money and developed a good Stadtbahn-System instead. Basically all parts of Stuttgart have a very good connection to the city center via Stadtbahn or S-Bahn.

[@DerNoergler]

PS: Greetings from Stuttgart!

The main advantage was that it could be build incrementally. Whenever the state had some money laying around, Stuttgart was able to pull an already approved plan out of some drwaer, siphoning up a lot of funds that may have gone to improving transport in other parts of Baden-Württember instead.

[@RMTransit]

I think a video comparing hybrid modes to “pure” modes would be interesting

[@frafraplanner9277]

​@@RMTransit Oh yes! I've been thinking about the three cardinal rail forms a lot lately (tram, metro, and train) And their hybrids (Tram-train, Subway-surface, and Metro-mainlines) Then there's stadtbahn, which is all three combined.

[@jan-lukas]

​@that's the exact reason why Stadtbahn systems were built. But it could've been better if state and federal government would have actually funded full metros

[@ianlanlanian]

Stuttgart is amazing, I would highly recommend you to visit during summer. Riding around all the trains in and out of the city and in the beaitufl green surroundings is such a vibe. I was shocked at the sheer amount of urban rail in Stuttgart, even for german standards.

[@bodah2301]

Yeah but you will die from heat in the center It’s that godamm valley

[@cmjones01]

Great video, it's good to see Stuttgart covered. I spent a year living in Ludwigsburg as a student almost 30 years ago and used the rail system a lot. It was such a part of student life that my friends and I knew the S-Bahn S4 timetable by heart! At that time, there was an exhibition in Hauptbahnhof about Stuttgart 21. There were also still a lot of the old meter gauge trams still running, and interchanges between the Stadtbahn and tram were common - note the dual-height platforms at Charlottenplatz, for example. The Stadtbahn tunnel up to the TV tower was under construction and riding the 15 tram (now U15) up the hill was memorable for the improbably steep gradients it manages to climb. I'd be surprised if there were any steeper non-rack railways to be found anywhere.

[@kilianhzh]

If I remember correctly Linie 15/ U15 is the steepest non supported tram Edit: U15 is the steepest unsupported standard gauge rail service in public transport.

Correction on the S6/S60 service: On weekdays, these two services run coupled from Schwabstraße to Renningen, so S6 has 15-minute intervals all the way to Weil der Stadt. Alternating between full-length trains all the way through and half-length trains that split/join with half-lenght trains from S60 at Renningen.

[@RMTransit]

Ah a good old S Bahn splitting service

@@RMTransit there is even a coordinated cross-platform transfer in Renningen, so you can always change from WdS to Böblingen and vice versa in 2 or 3 minutes

[@tim7258]

nur nicht von Böblingen Richtung Leonberg, außerhalb der HVZ da ist immer 20min in der Nacht zu warten @ 😬

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

It won't be long before there is a rail connection between Renningen and Calw once again - the long-abandoned line is currently being re-instated. Unfortunately, it won't be a continuation of the S-6 but a separate entity known as the Hermann Hesse Bahn - Calw was Hesse's birthplace . . .

@@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301 The first step is to get Calw to Weil der Stadt going again using battery-powered trains. That's proving hard enough. Once that's in service, the process for a full electification with overhead wires starts. Service-wise it would make a lot more sense to serve Calw to Stuttgart Main Station with a RegionalExpress train making only limited stops between Weil der Stadt and Stuttgart. And screpping that stupid S62 "Express S-Bahn" ervice.

[@georgobergfell]

Finally! 😍 I've been waiting for this for a long time! The way the Stadtbahn system transitioned from a meter gauge tram network to a standard gauge Stadtbahn network over the decades really deserves a video on its own. The last line was transitioned to standard gauge only on 2015! Also worth to mention is, that 100% of the Stadtbahn stations have level boarding, unlike the S-Bahn network. I hope you are going to do a more detailed video about Stuttgart 21 in the future. Its way more than just a new station!

[@RMTransit]

I hope it was worth the wait!

[@georgobergfell]

@@RMTransit you did not disappoint 😁

[@Delibro]

2007 was when the last line changed from meter gauge to standard gauge. It was line 15 which stayed much longer than all other lines cus it has a steep part that the new vehicles initially can't climb.

[@MarioFanGamer659]

I was surprised to see Stuttgart before Frankfurt as the latter's Stadtbahn is definitively the easier system (inbetween the former's and Rotterdam Metro in terms of complexity). Now to the video: - One thing you forgot to mention is that the Class 430 have less capacity than their 422 predecessors thanks to their larger heads and in turn shorter middle cars which results in four quartets of seats being replaced by pairs instead alongside one window being shorter than the rest and also introducing irregular door spacing. The gap fillers also aren't inherent to the 430 as Frankfurt's are lacking them. - The Stadtbahn is definitively an interesting system not just how much of a tram-metro hybrid it is but also how it's been turned step-free (i.e. making folding steps unnecessary) when many others still have yet to ditch them. This is on top of keeping a heritage tramway. - Ironically, the DT8 trains are practically metro trains (having some extras like mirrors and turn signals thanks to street running operations but could easily be ditched if it weren't for them) whereas the other systems are in-between metro and tram (high floor carriages but using articulations) which especially contrasts systems like Frankfurt and Bochum's which are the most metro-like in infrastructure. - IMO, line 10 is not interesting for the fact that it's an urban rack railway but rather that it's a rack _tramway_ (notice the turn signals on the railcars).

[@GerdCastan]

Adding one aspect to the complexity: the steepness of the terrain in Stuttgart. That explains some of the complexity of the lines. Because of that, each bogie of the DT 8 has a motor, which, to my knowledge, is unusual.

[@RockSusa]

5:05 The city is called: Ludwigsburg like "Ludwigs castle" (not Ludwigsberg for mountain). Great Video, Thanks for your work.

[@RMTransit]

Thanks for the info! And for watching!

[@joehacker6412]

I'm living in Stuttgart for some years now and before of that, I was living for some time in the San Francisco bay area. With respect to public transit, Stuttgart and San Francisco have quite some things in common: not too big city in a much larger metropolitan area, steep hills in downtown, SF surrounded on three sides by water, Stuttgart within a valley with steep slopes on three sides, both requiring tunnels (and bridges). From the system design, the Stuttgart Stadtbahn is similar to SF's Muni Metro and the S-Bahn is similar to BART. However, a ride on the Stadtbahn feels faster and still way less bumpy. And while the S-Bahn is technically part of the national railway network, BART is an isolated system with many non-standard solutions, e.g., the non-standard gauge, which is definitively not helpful when purchasing equipment. Stuttgart's funicular is far less cool than the cable cars, and electric busses with overhead wires exist only in one suburb, but on the other hand, Stuttgart has the rack railway, which is another somewhat odd but adorable solution for public transit.

[@lm25071]

Historical Sidenote to the Stadtbahn cars: There were some tram stops because the system used to be a streetcar one, so you entered them right from ground level. For that they had built in stairs that could either transform into stairs or would remain on the same height as the floor (so called Klapptrittstufen). For accessability reasons and faster passenger exchange all stations were transformed into high floor stations.

[@justusrometh8530]

This cracked up every international visitor I brought to Hanover. Even the Japanese thought it was brilliant.

[@harang9759]

Thank you so much for doing my city!

[@RMTransit]

My pleasure 🎉

[@kaitak_]

Can’t wait to visit this city in December. Totally not just because of Porsche and Mercedes.

[@Bioshyn]

swabian food is top tier, put that on your list

[@RMTransit]

The transit is amazing!

[@gtctv7000]

Visit the Christmas market, but not only in Stuttgart but try Esslingen and Ludwigsburg also, I emplore you it's great

[@Canleaf08]

Zuffenhausen has an interesting Stadtbahn junction though….

[@bodah2301]

@@gtctv7000especially in Esslingen the medieval part of the marked is great

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

This system makes understanding the NYC Subway a walk in the park! But really, I'm glad you were thorough with this, because as complex as their system is, it shows that even in a major auto city, having a good transit network is very much possible! Berliner Platz actually has THREE separate stops, two of which have the exact same name, Berliner Platz (Liederhalle)! While the third one, Berliner Platz (Hohe Straße), is differentiated by the part in parentheses. But on the map, all three are shown as one stop. And regarding the farmland by U3's eastern terminus, it's home to a large agricultural university called University of Hohenheim, the city's oldest university, so having that terminus there is quite convenient for students That Killesbergpark you mentioned is also pretty cool! The park dates back to a horticultural show in 1939. Before the show, a large area of the park had been a quarry. It was transformed into a park with exhibition sites for the show, and has remained, hosting horticultural events on a regular basis!

[@followthedamntraincj5058]

tbh I found NYC a tad more complicated to navigate in the subway system ... well actually not the subway lines, but the station themselves with their complicated layout. I agree, Stuttgart was designed and is known as the car city, but they still managed to get public transport working efficiently

[@xmamam2x]

What I would add to the u3 and Plieningen (and Birkach) is that they are heavily connected by bus, compensating for the lack of rail connection.

[@EuroDC1990]

Our tram network in Sheffield, UK, also has trams built by Duewag. Within the UK they're pretty unique and I believe now the oldest trams in normal use in the UK but it's odd to see how similar the interior of those in Stuttgart look to the ones in Sheffield. Good trams though, the fact they're the oldest in common use in the UK just goes to show how good they've been.

[@stuttgarterbahnhof]

🙂Thanks for the nice video. The Stuttgart basin does not make rail transport any easier; we have height differences of over 250 meters within the city. 🙂

[@maximkretsch7134]

Many big cities have height differences of more than 250 meters, but most use lifts to cover them, lol.

[@schoeMful]

When I got more into transit and started to watch international videos I always had a problem to "translate" them to what I knew: Stuttgarts transit network. What is a light rail, how does it compare to tram and metro, can metro only be underground, and all such things. As Stuttgarts Stadtbahn runs sometimes in the middle of the street, sometimes underground and sometimes on their own tracks between (smaller) towns, it was quite something, especially with English as a second language. Now, several years later, I understand all of that, but the Stadtbahn still has a special place in my heart, with the mess that it is.

[@schoeMful]

Also: I saw the train on the thumbnail and was like "that looks like my beloved DT8.12", and only afterwards I read the text and saw, that the video is actually about my home town.

[@1manAF84]

Awesome to see this video, I live here currently! I use the U-bahn and S-bahn almost everyday! Love the public transport options here!

[@carljo002]

Very nice video. As a local, I approve!

[@RMTransit]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@shinook6667]

Having recently moved back to Stuttgart, this episode is extra fun for me. (I lived here a couple decades ago for 6 years, and wow have things changed since!) I used to mostly drive when I lived here before, though still took a ton of S-Bahn trips. Now, we’re car-free and use the public transportation system exclusively when we aren’t walking or biking. Being able to go anywhere I want on public transportation is life changing after driving 1,000,000 miles in the states over the last 18 years(actually documented miles… ugh). That said, I’d love for you to deep dive into Stuttgart 21. A whole pro vs con video on it would be amazing. They started the project while we lived here before, and I remember it being a little controversial, but seeing how it is still going two decades later… I’d love to learn everything I can on it. I am curious why it isn’t compatible with the “clock” system… as it is going to be Germany’s first digitally controlled rail system. I just don’t know much about how the systems work… Thanks for making this video, was very cool seeing places that I regularly go to and know well. :)

[@Dreamfox-df6bg]

In addition to what is shown in the video, there is a network of bus lines criss crossing the city. To visitors I advice to get the VVS app to get around. Even as a native it sometimes shows me routes I didn't know where possible. And with tickets that can be used in the S-Bahn, Stadbahn and the Bus service there are only a few places you can't reach in the Stuttgart area with the public transit system.

[@flixcrafter2394]

Nice video, I live near to Stuttgart and I love the way they solved the problem with the big height differents between the city center and the suberbs with for example line 10. Also I'm happy that you will make a whole video about "Stuttgart 21". Thanks for your great content :)

[@sinform9714]

14:52 In Killesberg was the former Stuttgart Fair before the fair moved to the airport. So the Killesberg Station was build for a huge number of passengers during events and the Station had a regular 10 minutes Service and extra Service during events in the fair. Now the station has only a regular 20 minutes Service and is oversized for the less numbers of passengers, except until the annual Stuttgarter Lichterfest in the Killesberg Park.

[@sadbutok8574]

I'd love to see some content about transit in Frankfurt and the surrounding Rhine-Main-Region, especially the S-Bahn!

[@andi_1425]

Thanks a lot for this video on my home town! Very interesting to get an outside perspective. Just one small correction: The S3 doesn't run on the southern branch to the airport anymore. It was replaced by a higher frequency on S2, and S3 ends at Vaihingen now. I take this line on a daily basis to work since I live close to the airport. However, I agree with many others here that S-Bahn is quite a mess right now, partly to the fact that the whole Stuttgart area rail network is being transformed to pure digital signalling using ETCS.

[@jdatlas4668]

I was in Stuttgart exactly once for the purposes of disaster tourism (Stuttgart 21), so I'm curious if this wakes some memories :D

[@RMTransit]

I hope it was worth the watch!

[@maximkretsch7134]

​@@RMTransitI doubt it, for a project of this size the site runs quite smoothly.

[@joehacker6412]

Nice video, thanks! 🙂 About the S-Bahn: The word "Verbindungsbahn" has been used by the experts during planning and construction and can still be found in literature and on the German wikipedia article. The general public nowadays knows it more as the "Stammstrecke" (trunk line) that runs from Bad Cannstadt to Rohr, and that's also how the railway company calls it, e.g. when they have to announce schedule changes due to construction works etc. About the Stadtbahn: I wouldn't call it chaotic, I would call it pragmatic. At every single corner they have decided what is the best solution with respect to cost vs. benefit. Yet, it is unfinished. Tunnels between Charlottenplatz and Bopser as well as between Berliner Platz and Herderplatz are badly missing. Contact with automotive traffic (in particular cars doing forbidden left turns on intersections) often causes accidents and delays. In the 1960ies there were actually plans to build a "real" metro - I'm glad that they didn't follow this all-or-nothing approach which would have left us with probably three lines and the rest of the tram network converted to diesel bus service due to cost. Your way of explaining the structure of the Stadtbahn network is a bit unconventional. It is uncommon to think in terms of north-south or east-west services (and when I had to do so, I would say that U1 is clearly north-south, not east-west). Most people just talk about line numbers heading to whatever suburb. When talking about the structure of the network, a more common approach (for people interested in that subject 🙂) is to say that in the city center we have three trunk lines (which happen to be the same as for the above-mentioned plans for a "real" metro): 1. The "Tallängslinien" (= along-the-valley lines, referring to the Nesenbach, a creek that has carved out the valley in which downtown is situated, which flows nowadays completely underground from Vaihingen to Mercedesstraße where it flows into the Neckar river). This is basically the U1 service, with U2 and U14 branching off in the suburbs. 2. The "Talquerlinien" (=across-the-valey lines, crossing the Nesenbach at Charlottenplatz). This is basically U6, with U5, U15, and - later added - U7 and U12 branching off in the suburbs. 3. The "Diagonallinien" (= diagonal lines). This is mainly U9 (as it was before the route change due to the Stuttgart 21 construction site) with U4 running most of the time in parallel but with a different route through downtown and in the Ostendplatz area). In addition to that there are the Tangentiallinien (= tangential lines) outside the downtown area: U3, U8, U13. It is worth mentioning that while many services (e.g., U2, U4) switch between segments of these basic lines, there is no connection tunnels between the Tallängslinien and the Talquerlinien within the downtown area, not at Charlottenplatz and not at Hauptbahnhof. This is a remains of the plans for the real metro. If it had been built, U9 would probably have gotten a tunnel separate from U1 in the Staatsgalerie-Stöckach area, so all three trunk lines would have been completely separate.

[@WanderlustGoGo]

The mix of transport modes in Stuttgart is outstanding. ❤

[@bieneulm1982]

Currently, Stuttgart has around 635000 Inhabitants, while the metropol region surrounding it has around 5,2 Million.

[@maximkretsch7134]

The area covered by the VVS has about three million inhabitants.

[@bieneulm1982]

The whole "european" Stuttgart metropolitan area is around 5,2 to 5,4 Millions. According to Wikipedia. But you´re certainly right about the region of Stuttgart itself.@@maximkretsch7134

[@alexsavastru8125]

​@@maximkretsch7134 You'd think I'd have known that prior to reading this comment as I'm part of the ~2.2 million who are underserved by public transport. Thank God there's gonna be an S-Bahn extension in my city... In 2027 -.-

[@sams3015]

Great video as usual, I love these German urban rail systems. Gives me ideas for Simcity lol

[@philherb3843]

Thanks for this incredible video of the rail network near where I live. I didn't knew all the lines till now. So, "wieder was glernt", learnt something again. To Stuttgart 21: There are some problems from the start that couldn't be done better (gradient, number of platforms). And there are some bad mistakes (architects crazy expensive ideas). But: Half of the cost is from the delays of the people , who didn't like it (a lot so old, they won't live to see the opening). And in the planing of S21, nobody thought about time-based schedules. We will see if this ever happens, now that NIMBYS blocked the new tracks to Hamburg.

[@anselm7806]

you forgot to mention the challenging "anhydrit" rock in which they have to dig trenches and drill the tunnels, etc. This kind of stone is gaining volume (up to 60%) when in contact with water or even humidity (transforming from anhydrit to plaster). Fun fact: the "schwabstraße loop" mentioned at 4:42 is built in the same kind of rock same as the new railway tunnel serving the airport as well as the "Engelbergtunnel" close to Leonberg. In Leonberg they still struggle due to that, thats why th tunnel is currently and that often under construction... so hopefully they do better here in the heart of Stuttgart. Greetings from Stuggi ;-)

[@minecrafter0505]

I love that you're going through all German transit systems, particularly looking forward to Bielefeld and Wuppertal.

[@Fan652w]

Congratualtiions Reece from Roger Sexton on a brilliant video! Regarding Stuttgart 21, until 1990 both Stuttgart and Zurich had Hauptbahnhofs consisting simply of 16 dead-end platform tracks. Today Zurich Hbf still has 18 dead-end tracks (two of them underground) and eight underground through platform tracks. When completed the Stuttgart 21 is completed the Hbf will have just ten through platform tracks, all of them underground. (The above ground tracks will all disappear.)

[@burgerpommes2001]

Real shame

Nope, it worse: The underground station will have just 8 tracks, "replacing" 16 dead-end tracks. They are planning with two trains per track (split in the middle) from day one throughout the day, so the station will be at or above capacity from day one - and very likely a cconstant source of delays felt throughout Germany. A real shame that 10+ billion Euro are spent for such a capacity downgrade.

[@Fan652w]

@ When I say 'ten through tracks' I was including the two existing S-Bahn tracks.

@@Fan652w There was orignally a provision to expand the new underground station to 10 tracks, but this got cancelled in one of the earlier cost-cutting schemes. The latest scheme is to exclude all the signalling cost from S21 and instead claim that to be a completely separate project (DKS - Digitaler Knoten Stuttgart), hiding well over a billion from the S21 budget.

[@ft4709]

@ That's not entirely accurate. The signalling cost amount to about 470 million. That's it. The further cost of about 200 million is strictly reserved for converting vehicles over to ETCS, some of which would have been avoidable had the state of Baden-Württemberg decided to order suitable trains in the first place. Something they're about to correct now with the order of additional Coradia HC units. Besides, given that quite a lot of these regional trains will have to use ETCS-only high speed lines, the cost to convert them over to ETCS was always a given and is by no means a result of deciding against the previously planned PZB/ESG installation in favor of L2oS.

[@krisrizakis9989]

Thanks!

[@RMTransit]

Thank you!

[@ferda9886]

Thank you this is my Hometown❤❤❤❤

[@RMTransit]

Thanks for watching!

[@gloofisearch]

Thank you for this video. I have been to Stuttgart many times and I love that system. It is very quirky and lots of stations everywhere. The story about Stuttgart 21 is so wild, that it would require a whole video series. In 1989, I was in the Stuttgart main train station and in the tower, on the main floor was already the plan for the new station, at that time called, Stuttgart 2010, for a completion in 2010. Nobody, I mean NOBODY in all of Stuttgart or Germany cared for it. However, once they wanted to start digging, all of a sudden, the world went loose and many opposed the idea, mainly for sentimental reasons. I was so pissed at all of the people opposing the new station, as they had years before that to do something about it. Due to this mess, the cost went up significantly, which then again, a lot of people opposed. I personally think it is awesome, moving a big ass train station not only underground, but also move the connections by 90 degrees. When you drive in the car from Munich to Stuttgart, you see all the new tunnels and tracks that are put in place to support this new train station, which is very impressive. I am sure, once this is up and running, everybody will love it as it creates so much more green space in the heart of the city. Well done video, thank you.

[@theaveragejoe5781]

Looking back, the protests feel like a case in point of "collective hysteria". Unbelievable that opposing it was the "progressive" thing to do, if I remember right

[@Krustenkaese92]

Grew up in and lived all my life in Kornwestheim which is sandwiched right in between Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg, so I've been using this transit system all my life. The S-Bahn isn't as reliable as I would like but yeah, the Stadtbahn is great.

[@CharlieND]

Another great explainer, Reece. I can't get over how cool the bridge at 22:04 is.

[@lm25071]

It's the bridge right after the end station of the rack railway (at Marienplatz). Definitely quite good integrated and steep, though not the steepest part of the track.

[@RMTransit]

@@lm25071it’s awesome!

[@lm25071]

@@RMTransit Feels super weird though to pass the houses at that high level 😂 Another interesting very modern bridge from the Stadtbahn net is the one over the Autobahn A8 to extend the network to the airport. The wires are made of carbon so that they can be extra thin.

[@justuslm]

A note on Stuttgart 21: There are already discussions that, maybe, in the future, a new stub end station might be built underground, under the new buildings that will be built where the station is currently. Personally, I think this is a great idea, because it solves the capacity problem, making the station ready for the "Deutschlandtakt" the German synchronized timetable, while the platforms currently under constructions are a great addition to increase the speed on many connections, similar to the lower level platforms in Berlin Hbf. But only the future will tell what actually ends up getting constructed and what doesn't.

[@EppelheimTV]

Personally, I think that Stuttgart 21 is more of a real estate project instead of a rail infrastructure project. I would have favoured a solution where the old stub-end station would stay, with the new low-level platforms added for extra capacity. Many regional trains terminate in Stuttgart, so it is just reasonable to have a stub-station, whereas trough-running regional trains (like IRE1 or MEX12) and intercity trains use the new low-level plattforms.

[@ft4709]

That plan has already been canceled in favor of a regional bypass between Bad Canstatt and Feuerbach Station. I would have liked to see an additional stub station as well, but for the Deutschlandtakt to work it is far more important to build a new tunnel link towards the high speed line from Mannheim. Additional platform capacity isn’t that much of a concern given that Stuttgart rightfully won’t function as a hub in the synchronized timetable scheme.

[@aphextwin5712]

⁠@@ft4709There are two ways to see the last aspect. Stuttgart doesn’t need extra platforms since it won’t serve as a hub. Or Stuttgart won’t serve as a hub because it doesn’t have enough platforms for it.

[@ft4709]

@@aphextwin5712 Only one of those ways of looking at it is correct though. Even at 250 kph it takes 37 minutes from Mannheim to Stuttgart. The Deutschlandtakt aims to lower this down to 29 minutes (which only works thanks to Stuttgart 21, increased top speed, new switches in Mannheim and an additional tunnel) which is already quite ambitious. Basically, it is completely impossible to have a 00/30-hub at both Mannheim AND Stuttgart. And Mannheim is by far one of the most (if not THE most) important rail hubs in southern Germany, far more important than Stuttgart. So yes, a hub in Stuttgart was always out of the questions. Besides, I already said that I'm much in favor of additional platforms anyways.

[@DerKarlsruher16]

Would it be possible to, for example, have either Mannheim or Stuttgart be a 15/45-hub? Or would this potentially affect the rest of Southern Germany too much?

[@TheKartoffel101]

Fun Fact: At the Sbahn Station Zuffenhausen was build they also build a tunnel under the Bundesstraße B10 which runes along side the S-Bahn and Intercity. Tracks for the Stadtadbahn including a whole station. But they never used it.

[@JordanGollub]

das klingt spannend, finde ich dafür mehr infos?

[@tim7258]

würde mich auch interessieren, nach einer kurzen Google Recherche habe ich leider nichts gefunden @@JordanGollub

[@GG-zk3de]

​@@JordanGollubUnter der Bundesstraße hat man einen Hohlraum gelassen um einen späteren Stadtbahntunnel einfacher zu realisieren. U15 fährt aber über Unterländer Straße. "Bauvorleistungen Stadtbahn Stuttgart Wikipedia"

[@carlinthomas9482]

Some say the reason why Detroit has poor public transit was due to the car industry headquarters being located there, Stuttgart proves this doesn't have to be the case. Unfortunately, Detroit faces other issues that inhibit a functioning public transit system.

[@Canleaf08]

Detroit used to have a lot of factories, until other manufacturers with a more modern product catalogue, better delivery strategies like just in time and newer management techniques like kanban made cars from detroit an obsolete thing. Huge parts of DTW are left abandonned because the adoption of that change did not happen. It is the same as Gary, Indiana or other US citiesin the rustbelt.

[@eechauch5522]

The Stuttgart Stadtbahn really caught me off guard when I first had a reason to visit the city last year. As somebody originally from Karlsruhe going to Stuttgart just wasn’t something you’d do, even though it’s not far and the few times I’ve been we’re always to museums or concerts with a car. So when I went there on business for a couple of days I had some time to pass in the afternoons and realized the impressive system they had built there, especially given the steep hills around the city core. They dip in and out of tunnels very regularly but run quite reliably and fast, at least from an outsiders perspective. The huge number of services is a bit confusing as first, but for regulars I feel like it would be very handy, since it allowed for a lot of one-seat rides.

[@VampireNavari]

As someone who uses the S6 to commute to work (or into the city center in general) I can tell you it is an absolute nightmare. Aside from the overall DB problem that also applies to all the S-Lines, there's constantly little defects or problems that cause the S6 to terminate in Zuffenhausen. That is also currently the case as Feuerbach is non-accessible. Whenever this happens, not only do they terminate the train earlier, but they also reduce the frequency of all lines connected to this issue. Which means every morning an already full S6/60 has to change platforms (you actually have to queue at the stairs nowadays!!) and then try to squeeze into an already packed to the brim S4 or S5. -100/10 would not recommend

[@Korschtal]

It's good to see Stuttgart getting some coverage. I used the '10', the rack railway for a couple of years going to college and it is incredibly steep; I'd get a view of the city every morning and evening. At the time they still had the old tram and trolley (seen just before you go to the funicular train) and this was far too small, so I'd cycle from my villge outside Stuttgart on a fairly old bike, and lock it to the railings of a small stop right on the edge of the valley; the neighbourhood was full of Porsches and expensive Ebikes so no-one bothered to steal my bike in the two years I did this. The rack line used to be the main route into Stuttgart fron the east, and was part of a different company called the "Filderbahn" which ran rural freight and passenger services on a metre gauge network. commuters would come into Degerloch and transfer to the rack line to go down into the city. The steam trains must have done murder on the washing for the expensive houses of the old Weinsteige.

[@EppelheimTV]

Hey Reece, thank you for covering Stuttgart, a city not too far away from where I live with a great Stadtbahn system. Personally, I think that Stuttgart has "THE" quintessentail Statbahn system, demonstrating how to do light-rail right (medium-sized city, many lines, not a cheap metro replacement, strategic tunnels where needed). 13:38 These lines once actually were proper suburban rail. They were part of the "Filderbahn", an interurban network connecting all towns and villages near Stuttgart on the Filder plateau. Just like the citie's tram routes, the narrow-gauge Filderbahn was partly integrated into the standard-gauge Stadtbahn system, using its right-of-way. The "Zacke" (Line 10, the rack railway) once also was part of the FIlderbahn, linking the interurban network with central Stuttgart.

[@amiausUSA]

My first visit to Stuttgart was in August 1997 and the U Bahn system had at the time, a low floor section. That section was meant for the meter gauge GT4 vehicles. Some lines still have such sections, especially line 15 from the Strassenbahn museum in Bad Canstatt to Ruhbank. Most of the others have since been converted to meter gauge only and high floors. Take for example Rotebühlplatz, the low floor section was removed and the extra rail likewise.

[@tarickw]

I moved recently (like a couple of years recently) to stuttgart from outside of germany and I have two things to note: - the U-bahn rail placement can be described in one way: pragmatic. No need to build a tunnel if service can be done aboveground in possibly shared spaces. - the information in the stations on what line is going where and what the platform is, is ATROCIOUS. (Prime example is in the Hauptbahnhof Arnulf-Klett-Platz) And that is even a two parter: the information is not consistency presented so you are constantly looking for it. And when you finally find it: it's incomplete/inconsistent with itself. They really should do a design pass on it to make it legible. It's survivable when you live here but my god this is just torturing tourists for fun.

[@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301]

I would add that the U-Bahn/S-Bahn rail map is crude and poorly designed. The junction at Pragsattel, for example, is impossible to make head or tail of on the map and there are many points like this. The bus network map, on the other hand, is brilliant - clear and elegant. Strange . . .

[@tanithrosenbaum]

That kind of mixed types of right of way isn't uncommon in Germany at all, and honestly, I don't think anyone here considers it messy or chaotic, since we're all used to it being that way. You'll find similar mixes of alignments in Cologne, Nürnberg, Munich and many Ruhrgebiet-Cities. At least in Stuttgart, there actually is an overarching Leitmotif in all those mixed alignments: optimizing the cost/benefit ratio, with benefits in this case being average travel speed and capacity. Stuttgart has been one of the champions of the approach to its Stadtbahn to apply many small cost effective improvements that add up across the entire network, as well as an astonishing level of pragmatism in varying theses solutions in different locations in the city to match the local needs there, which is pretty uncommon for our standardization-obsessed country.

[@carlantonbrandt8552]

as a stuttgart resident supporting stuttgart 21, it needs to be said that the huge surface area that the tracks cover directly in stuttgarts city center as well as the even bigger train siding facility (for real, look at the map, it makes up a quarter of stuttgarts inner city) will be abolished, which makes room for new housing and greenery.

[@zidaanhayat4648]

Great video, I think one thing to note about the controversy surrounding the removal of trees, even if its a relatively small number in a very green area is that that kind of persistent outrage even over small amounts is what keeps places like Stuttgart so green, whether the outrage is responded to or not, helps keep things in check sometimes

[@theon__]

9:29 its U- Bahn. Yes kind of Stattbahn but more like underground train like in London

[@norbertt11]

Can't wait for your vid about Frankfurt! As someone who uses the S-Bahn to get to work every day it'll be a lot of fun :D

[@merlemaus3000]

as someone who has lived in stuttgart almost all their life (2 year break in bremen :-)), i really enjoyed this video! i absolutely love the ubahn, its the best public transport ive used in germany. quick, efficient and comfortable. the busses are also pretty good though. i only use the sbahn to get to uni and to visit friends who live further out, so i can't really speak much on it, but it's pretty reliable as well (compared to other db services lol)

[@andrewjameson5918]

I loved travelling on that network when I was over there. I had no issues, I need to get back one day.

[@FrogeYT]

Do dusseldorf i've been on it's tram network and it is really underrated and isn't spoken about much, especially for such an effective and clean system

[@snowflower3282]

very nice seeing my hometown and it’s transit system represented on one of my favorite channels. Thank you for the video

[@josedavidgarfiasaznar9541]

I spent 6 months in Stuttgart as an exchange student and living there is what made me interested in learning about transit and trains

[@stadtbahncrafter]

Hanover has also a Stadtbahnsystem thats very interesting, would be nice seeing a video about it in the future :)

[@newsjunkie7135]

Lol, I liked your intro contrasting the car manufacturers' presence with the quality of the transit! They actually ran an ad joking about that a few years ago. It said, "Typical of Stuttgart: first we invent the car and then we take the bus and the train!"

[@alexb.1382]

It's indeed a quite complex system. I only know the connection from Stuttgart HBF to the University. Thanks for your videos, there are so much details, including Stuttgart 21

[@MaidLucy]

Thank you for covering Stuttgart! Some of these lines are really unconventional, even for German standards. Stuttgart 21 is probably the most discussed new main station of any city in germany. I'm looking forward to the completion though. If you want to see a classic high quality tram system, I recommend having a look at Dresden, Saxony's capital city. Plauen might also be interesting with only a population of 60k people and 6 tram lines that run every 15 minutes!

[@maximkretsch7134]

That's because Plauen had two times that number of inhabitants prior to WW2.

[@sschlappkohl]

it's crazy that I was watching another video from this channel from a few months ago and I said to myself "it would be crazy if there was a video dedicated to Stuttgart" and not only there is one, it was uploaded less than 24 hours ago, thank you

[@peacefutzi5560]

as someone who uses the S4 and S5 often i can say its a good video but on 5:05 my Town called Ludwigsburg is called Ludwigsberg difference is Berg means mountain and Burg means Castle.when u plan to visit stuttgart come visit Ludwigsburg 2 its a great city with a big old castle with impressive gardens. ( At the Train station is the best Döner called Denis Döner)

[@nochmalbayern5674]

I'm from the area and I like the video a lot. I just wanted to let you know, that at 5:07 you misspelled “LudwigsbUrg” as “LudwigsbErg”

[@Ann0yLP]

Living near and commuting into stuttgart daily, I‘ve had mostly positive experiences with the U-Bahn system, the S-Bahn though is a different story. It regularily fails to be on time which leads to missing your connection (for me that meant waiting half an hour outside in the cold at Leonberg Trainstation (S6) like once a week or every other week.) Also pretty frequently some technical problems or construction work will lead to no service or severly worse frequency of service on some or all lines towards main station. The tickets are not cheap enough to make up for that unreliability, which is part of why most people that have parking spaces at their office, will still use the car, unfortunately.

[@bodah2301]

Sorry but the next three trains will not arrive because of signal issues sorry for that ihre Deutsche Bahn Tbh everything the DB touches just evaporates the punctuality out of it

[@GamingInfested]

that big city but you get anywhere in couple of minutes, from anywhere. simply the best. I love it

[@thespacexplorer6552]

the U5 Project in Hamburg is supposed to cost around 25 billion Euros

[@ilksral3815]

Thank you Reece for this great video - I've been waiting for a video on my home city since i discovered you two years ago. As you said Stuttgarts transit network is really something special and is constantly evolving! About this I'd like to give some insights on planned/coming extensions to the network: S-Bahn: Just last week begun construction on a roughly 4km long extension of the S2 starting at it's current south terminus Filderstadt to Neuhausen auf den Fildern with a stop in Sielmingen at the roughly half way mark. When the construction finishes in 2028 the S3 is planned to be extended from terminating at Flughafen/Messe to Neuhausen of den Fildern. As Stuttgart21 will force the the "Gäubahn" - (Currently hourly opperating regional/intercity service from (Zürich -) Singen - Rottweil - Horb - Herrenberg - Stuttgart) to terminate outside of Stuttgart at the S-Bahn station Vaihingen, cities along it fight to somehow preseve a direct connection to Stuttgarts main station. A proposal to archive this is to extend either the S1 (currently terminating in Herrenberg) or the S5 (terminating at Schwabstraße as the shortest line running into the mainstation) to at least Horb (with stops in Gäufelden, Bondorf, Ergenzingen, Eutingen im Gäu) which seems to be the most likely option, allthough some are pushing for an extension all the way to Rottweil. Either way this extension is, if it's coming, set to take place at the end of 2024 or in early 2025. Last thing to add on: The main tunnel of the S-Bahn is currently being refitted with ETCS technology to allow more frequent service, full implementation of this is set to be finished at the end of 2025 possibly allowing a 10-min service on multiple if not all lines in contrast to the 15 min intervall now. U-Bahn: U5 - Starting off with the most concrete extention is the extension of the U5 from its current terminus at Leinfelden Bf with roughly 1km to the then new terminus "Neuer Markt" further inward in a developing area of the town of Leinfelden. Construction on this project has already begun an is set to finish sometime in 2024/25. U13 - Next on the list is the planned 5km extension of the U13 off of the from you labled E branch of the network. It is going to continue onwards from its current terminus at Feruerbach Pfostenwäldle along the route of the U6/U16 to the station Raststatter Straße where it will split off onto a to be build section of track crossing over and following the Bundesstraße B 295 northwards with the new stops "Ditzinger Straße" and "Weilimdorf Bf." where it allows transit to the S6/S60. From there heading a bit further northwards along the B 295 bevore dropping eastward for a stop at "Hausen" before continuing onwards north stopping at the industrial zone of Ditzinigen and then terminating at the S-Bahn station in Ditzingen. Construction on this project is estimated to begin in late 2024 when the funding for it is projected to be granted and will take estimated 4 years. Alongside it a new railyard for the SSB will be build in Weilimdorf. U7 - The least concrete extension is one of the U7. There have been talks and proposals for an extension of the U7 from Nellingen towards Esslingen or Denkendorf allthough nothing concrete has come from those proposals and if it were it wouldn't see construciton work start until the mid 2030s. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now in regards to the changes in the network once the from you mentioned Stadtbahntunnel between Hauptbahnhof and Staatsgallerie re-opens: U29/U34 - The lines U29 and U34 are planned to be cease operations once the tunnel is re-opened, noteworthy here is that U34 has already been discontiuned just last week due to a shortrage of drivers to ensure the stability of the rest of the network. U9 - The U9 will be redirected and no longer run via Staatsgallerie-Charlottenplatz-Rathaus-Rothebühlplatz-Berliner Platz (Hohe Straße) and instead return to its former route Staatsgallerie-Hauptbahnhof-Börsenplatz-Berliner Platz (Liederhalle) U14/U1 - The U14 will not return to its former route and no longer stop at Hauptbahnhof with the timetable-change 2023/24. Formerly it ran from Heslach Vogelrain (on your C branch) over Österreichischer Platz-Rothebühlplatz-Berliner Platz (Hohestraße)- Berliner Platz (Liederhalle)-Börsenplatz-Hauptbahnof-Staatsgallerie towards Mühlhausen. It will now swap its south arm with the U1 starting in Vaihingen (end of your C/B1 branch) running now via Österreichischer Platz-Charlottenplatz-Staatsgallerie instead of splitting off at Österreichischer Platz towards Hauptbahnhof. The U1 coming from Fellbach will take over the route of the U14 via Hauptbahnhof and now terminate at Heslach Vogelrain instead of Vaihingen, reasoning behind this is that the U1 will be (as the first and only East-West line in the network, the others being U6, U7 and U12) equipped with 80m trains and the last stations from Heslach towards Vaihingen are unable to be extended to 80m. Thanks again for this great video and thank you to anyone for your interest if you read through all of this.

[@cmjones01]

It's a shame that the Gäubahn won't go to Hauptbahnhof any more. The stretch of track connecting HBF to Vaihingen via the former Stuttgart-West station is spectacular. I have such happy memories of riding trains that way early on a Saturday morning using the Schoenes-Wochenendticket.

[@Talon5516-tx3ih]

@@cmjones01 The Gäubahn will reach the Hbf eventually; maybe 2034 or so. However ending in Vaihingen is only supposed to be for the first 2 years and then the trains will go over the Panoramabahn that you mentioned and end at a new station/platform near the Nordbahnhof. It's fairly questionable whether this is any better, but at least you'll be able to look at the view. The better news is that there's a plan to build some platforms along the Panoramabahn and run an "S-Bahn like" service along there (probably means an RB), which in the long run would connect to Bad Cannstatt via a tunnel as well as to Feuerbach and probably be every 15 minutes. As good as Stuttgart's public transport is there's a big part of the North and West of the city that's missed by both the Stadtbahn and the S-Bahn, so this makes a lot of sense.

[@Talon5516-tx3ih]

This plan of extending the S-Bahn to Horb or even further strikes me as a bit ridiculous. It's far too long a distance for an S-Bahn, which should be for shorter trips (they don't have toilets for one) and would create too many knock on problems when you extend a line for what I guess is at least 30-45 minutes. I think all these places have low platforms too - climbing into a 96cm S-Bahn won't be comfortable for anyone. It's not exactly a direct train but if it's well synchronised the train from Horb/Singen will be met in Vaihingen by a waiting S-Bahn on the opposite side of the same platform (Vaihingen was extended to allow exactly this and without interfering with other S-Bahn traffic). This is not great, but it's not bad either.

[@cmjones01]

@@Talon5516-tx3ih that's good news. It would be nice to make better use of the Panoramabahn because, as you say, that side of the city isn't well served by rail. I worried that the Panoramabahn would fall out of use, which would have been a real shame.

[@husen5033]

Hi would say i from Stuttgart hate that they are chaging the central station,it was the most punctual train station in Germany . Because the new station has only 8 lines with 32 trains per hour and the old 16 lines with 52 trains per hour. I find the new undergeond station not bad because it would be good for trough running high speed lines but im also for that the regional lines would on the overground like in Zurich.

[@MajorLazer182]

BIIIG up for pronouncing Porsche correctly...this video was great! Stuttgart really is a bit weird but it works out pretty well in practice. With the exception of user friendliness of stations (sometimes compared to the backrooms...im talking about YOU Charlottenplatz)

[@goldenesschwerkalb]

Thanks for your video, it's very well explained. As a former native to Stuttgart, I can add this: There have been many debates over the years to extend the S-Bahn-Network, most notably the S2. It terminates in Schorndorf, but Schwäbisch Gmünd (about 22 kilometers to the east) wished for a S-Bahn-connection since I can actively remember. In comparison to many other european countries, Germany has a much higher density of population, which leads to (sometimes) very intricate discussions about who gets a connection to which transport system.

[@stuttgartspotting]

Well done Reece 👍👌 cheers from Stuttgart

[@theautistictransitfan]

Yet another banger video from RMTransit! Also congrats on the engagement Reece!

[@theodorflammer2869]

5:04 The town is called Ludwigsburg not Ludwigsberg. :) I live a little bit north of it and I am loving the fact you discuss the Stuttgart system.

[@Chrizz06041980]

Thank you very much for making this video. It's very interesting seeing a documentary about your home area from a rail professional from abroad, even from another continent. I'm living in the town, where the S-Bahn S1 has its eastern terminus, which is 30 kilometres or 20 miles away from Stuttgart city centre. You said in the beginning of this video that you have familiar boundaries to Stuttgart. So I suppose you visited your relatives there when you made this video. I wish you much success with keeping on making these amazing videos.

[@vincentweiman3692]

After having been to many cities in Germany, the U-Bahn in Stuttgart still remains my favorite. Very reliable and comfortable!

[@jonathanjmacmillan]

This was a fun surprise! I have a close friend in the states whose family lives here and we’ve stayed with them. Imagine Detroit having transit like this!

[@adamabele785]

I just stumbled over the last remark: Stuttgart's public transit system punches above it's weight. But you need to consider the whole metropolitan area of Stuttgart, which includes lots and lots of smaller cities and communities. When you take that into account, the Stuttgart Metropol Region has a population of 2.5 million and it does not take into account other neighborong areas that also have commuters from and to the region. All these people need transportation and they are willing to contribute with public money to improve and extend it.

[@barryrobbins7694]

22:12 Wow, a bicycle only flatcar! How common are these in transit systems around the world?

[@jobw]

Usage is only allowed up the hill and from start station to end station. It's used quite heavily because there is a legal downhill track nearby.

[@barryrobbins7694]

@@jobwThanks for the explanation.

[@martinbruhn5274]

You forgot to mention the fate of the Gäubahn, which won't be able to continue its service into the main station for several years, until an additional, very costly tunnel most likely in the 30s will be built. Until then, trains using the Gäubahn will have to terminate in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, on the southern edges of the city. The Gäubahn currently still offers connections into the south of the state, as well as towards Zurich. Direct journeys from Zurich to the Stuttgart central station won't be possible anymore for about a decade or so. It's an extremely contentious issue, which you could have covered as well. When it comes to pros to the project, you could have also mentioned the additional station at the airport, which will allow both high speed connections directly into the airport, as well as an additional shoulder station to alleviate some of the pressure from the new central station, as well as add capacity. It's also going to be a pretty import transit hub for regional trains state wide.

[@EliteReacon]

5:06 it is called Ludwigsburg not Ludwigsberg fyi