Stuttgart 21 XI: Street Cleaning Vehicle at Logistics Centre

Stuttgart 21 is one of the biggest construction projects in Germany. It includes the underground construction of a new central station for the city of Stuttgart as well as the creation of a new network of tracks and tunnels that allows high speed trains to pass in the area, possibly reduces travelling times and connects Stuttgart to international transport networks. It is conducted by Deutsche Bahn and co-financed by public money.
However, despite enthusiasm from its founders and the industry, the project has been heavily criticised. Not only has it become much more expensive than expected, but there are also doubts about the efficiency and safety of the new central station as well as about the actual benefit of the high speed tracks. Moreover, the construction fuelled protests and many discussions on protected buildings and nature reserves within the city such as historic parks.
At the logistics centre enormous masses of building materials are transported from and to the various construction sites over the city. The constant transport of building materials produces loads of dirt on the streets at the logistics centre. Therefore, street cleaning vehicles clean the streets on a regular basis. One of them passing by can be heard in this recording.

Sound: Kathinka Engels
Photo: Konrad Gutkowski