The second stage should have been completed by the time of the full commissioning of the Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway (1991). Due to delays in the project approval process, some measures were implemented later, especially the elimination of level crossings. By the end of 1989, four of the 27 crossings along the line had been removed. By early 1991, the planning approval process for four of the twelve sections had been initiated. In four of the eight sections work had largely been completed. Overall, 46 individual projects had been carried out by the end of 1989.