Running late and vastly over budget, a mammoth rail project stands as a monument to what critics say is Germany's glaring failure to tackle long-standing infrastructure woes.

"Stuttgart 21" is envisaged as a major, futuristic rail hub in the southwestern city, a fitting gateway to a region home to the headquarters of corporate heavyweights such as Bosch and Mercedes-Benz.

But 15 years after work began, the project -- which involves replacing the current station with a major underground site -- is not yet complete.

Parts of the city centre remain a vast building site and costs have more than doubled to around 11 billion euros ($11.4 billion).

"Money is just being thrown out of the window," Dieter Reicherter, spokesman for protest group Action Alliance Against Stuttgart 21, told AFP.

"It would be much better if the money had just been used to improve and modernise the existing infrastructure."

Ageing, clapped-out infrastructure and badly planned projects are among some of the most visible problems facing Europe's top economy, whose malaise has become a key issue in the February 23 parliamentary election.

Germany's reputation for efficiency no longer holds true, critics contend........

© International Business Times