Host Nation Update, Nov. 15, 2023
A81 closed through Böblingen and Sindelfingen Wednesday night through early Thursday morning
Autobahn 81 will be fully closed between the Böblingen-Sindelfingen and Sindelfingen-Ost junctions from 10 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday.
The reason for this is urgent repairs that are necessary due to the damaged drainage of the bridge.
A detour through Sindelfingen is signposted.
S-Bahn/DB Regional and Long Distance Services impacted by strike from Wednesday to Thursday
The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) has called its members to a warning strike on Tuesday. From Wednesday at 10 p.m. until Thursday at 6 p.m., train drivers, train attendants, workshop employees and many more are to strike. This will also have an impact on traffic in the Böblingen district.
S 1 only runs once an hour, regional trains and ICs are canceled.
The strikes will generally affect regional trains and S-Bahn lines, as well as Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services. Commuters using the S 1 from Stuttgart to Herrenberg will feel the effects: According to Deutsche Bahn, it will only run once an hour, always at five minutes past the hour. From Thursday at 6.50 p.m., the S-Bahn trains will run again as usual. The RE 14b, which runs every two hours between Stuttgart and Herrenberg, will be completely canceled. The same applies to the IC, which also stops in Böblingen every two hours on the route between Stuttgart and Singen.
The situation is similar on the opposite route from Herrenberg to Stuttgart Central Station: An S-Bahn runs once an hour there, and the whole thing is over again from 6 pm. The S-Bahn trains, which normally run several times an hour in between, are canceled. The RE 14a also does not run at all during the strike.
S 60 between Stuttgart and Sindelfingen does not run at all.
Those who want to travel directly from Stuttgart to Sindelfingen on the S 60 will have a really bad time: It will be completely canceled until 6:30 pm. From Sindelfingen to Stuttgart, the S-Bahn resumes service at 6 p.m., but before that it is also completely canceled. The route can be covered by bus and light rail – but this takes time and sometimes requires multiple changes.
The S 6 between Weil der Stadt and Schwabstraße in Stuttgart will also be completely canceled in both directions during the strike.
As a spokeswoman for the Ammertalbahn informed us on request, the trains between Herrenberg and Tübingen are also affected by the strike – although she had no information on Wednesday afternoon as to how exactly.
According to information from VVS, buses, light rail, regional trains from Go-Ahead, SWEG Bahn Stuttgart and WEG are also not affected by the strike and are running as normal. So anyone using these means of transport will have better luck.
In general, the following applies in the coming days: it is certainly a good idea to check the Deutsche Bahn app or website before setting off. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Nov 15)
Deutsche Bahn offers a page (in German) of information for affected travelers.
Traffic chaos in Stuttgart – Closure at Schattenring brings traffic to a standstill
The chaos this Wednesday morning was perfect. Drivers who wanted to get into the city center were put to a tough test of patience. At times, nothing worked in the south and west of Stuttgart. Due to the closure of the Schattenring Bridge, which has been in place since Tuesday, long queues of cars formed during the morning rush hour. In addition, there was a continuous traffic jam on the A8 between the airport and the Leonberg junction. Many drivers tried to avoid the traffic chaos. This resulted in long traffic jams, especially on the B 14 and B 27, but also on the surrounding routes.
According to the Stuttgart Integrated Traffic Control Center (IVLZ), the queue of vehicles on the B 14 in the direction of the city centre stretched from the Schattenring through the entire Heslach Tunnel to Marienplatz. There was also chaos on the alternative routes. Traffic was also backed up on the B27 in Degerloch from the Tränke junction to Olgaeck in the city center. There were also massive traffic obstructions on the Nord-Süd-Straße and on surrounding routes. According to the Integrated Control Centre, the traffic situation did not return to normal until around 9.30 am.
Since the summer vacations, the approximately 4.9 million Euro renovation package of the Stuttgart Regional Council (RPS) has been underway in the area of the junction of the B 14 with the L 1180 and L 1187 at the shadow ring and the B 14 road section from there to the Heslach Tunnel. The two shadow ring bridges are also included in this package. Essentially, the road surfaces and pavements are to be repaired and renewed.
The work on the B 14 between the Schattenring and the Heslach Tunnel has been completed. Work is currently underway on the section over the Schattenring bridge in the direction of Leonberg/Stuttgart-West – up to the level of the tennis facility. The Schattenring bridge and the direction of travel from Schattenring to Leonberg/Stuttgart-West are therefore fully closed. The work is expected to last until the beginning of December. Traffic coming from the B 14 from Vaihingen in the direction of Leonberg/Gerlingen will be diverted at Schattenring via the L 1187 to Leonberg and from there on to Gerlingen. The destinations Stuttgart-Nord and Stuttgart-West can be reached from the Schattenring via the B 14 towards the center of Stuttgart. Access via Rotenwaldstraße from the B 14 coming from Vaihingen or Stuttgart-Zentrum is not possible during this period.
During the closures, Stuttgart-Botnang can also only be reached via Stuttgart-Zentrum or Stuttgart-West or alternatively via Leonberg/Gerlingen. Coming via the L 1180 Wildparkstraße, access to Stuttgart-West/Stuttgart-Nord as well as to Vaihingen and Stuttgart-Zentrum is possible without restrictions. The road closure also does not affect the routes from Stuttgart-West/Stuttgart-Nord to Leonberg/Gerlingen or to Vaihingen or Stuttgart-Zentrum. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Nov 15, 2023)
