The federal government refused to negotiate a financing agreement prior to the issue of the construction permit, which would be issued with the planning approval. Funding was provided in the state budget. The federal budget, however, provided no specific funding. The economic evaluation for the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2015, was nearing completion at the end of September 2015, showing a positive result. The state of Baden-Württemberg agreed in November 2015 to provide up to €112.5 million for the electrification of the line. In early December 2015, the federal government released funds from the 2015 budget for the electrification of the Southern Railway. In 2016, the first ground-breaking ceremony for the upgrade was held in spring 2017 at the site of the new substation to be built in Niederbiegen. The financing agreement between Baden-Württemberg and Deutsche Bahn was signed shortly before Christmas 2015. The state agreed to take over half of the eligible costs – up to €112.5 million of €225 million. The electrification would be completed by the end of 2021. A corresponding agreement would be concluded between the state and the federal government. It was agreed that after electrification of the line, an hourly "Oberschwaben-Express" would run between Stuttgart and Lindau, along with an hourly express between Ulm and Friedrichshafen. Regio-S-Bahn services would run every half hour between Ulm and Biberachshould. The project is divided into five planning approval sections ("Planfeststellungsabschnitte", PFA), following district boundaries. It ends in Lindau at the junction with the line from Munich, which is also being electrified. In November 2016 all planning decisions were completed. The sections and planning stands are in detail: The laying of a second track between Friedrichshafen and Lindau was planned around 2006 but was later abandoned. In the summer of 2016, the construction of sections one and two was planned to be carried out in 2018. The groundbreaking ceremony for the electrification took place on 23 March 2018. It took place at Niederbiegen, where a electrical substation is being built. The track between Ulm and Laupheim West was closed from 10 September to 8 December 2018 for the construction of the foundations of the catenary pylons. The commissioning of the entire electrification from Ulm to Lake Constance is planned for autumn 2021. The planned track closures are shown in the table below: After completion of the project, the line will be operable on certain sections at 160 km/h instead of 140 km/h.