Denmark and Germany to Soon Be Connected by an 18km Underwater Tunnel. The project is expected to be completed by 2029.
After more than a decade of planning, the construction of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel began in 2020, several months following the completion of a temporary port on the Danish side. This port will serve as the location for the assembly of 89 massive concrete segments that will make up the tunnel, CNN reported on September 20.
The factory on the Danish side will assemble 89 tunnel segments. (Photo: Femern A/S)
“The first production line is expected to be ready by the end of this year or early next year,” said Henrik Vincentsen, CEO of Femern A/S, the Danish company responsible for the project. “By early 2024, we will be ready to sink the first tunnel segment.”
The 18km long tunnel is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe, with a budget exceeding $7 billion. In comparison, the Channel Tunnel, which is 50km long and links the UK and France, was completed in 1993 at a cost of $13.6 billion in today’s currency. Although longer than the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, the Channel Tunnel was constructed using tunnel boring machines instead of sinking pre-manufactured tunnel segments.
The new tunnel will run through the Fehmarn Belt, the strait located between Germany’s Fehmarn Island and Denmark’s Lolland Island, designed to replace the current ferry service between Rødby and Puttgarden, which transports millions of passengers each year. Instead of taking 45 minutes to cross the strait by ferry, travel time will be reduced to 7 minutes by train and 10 minutes by car. Officially named the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, this will also be the longest combined rail and road tunnel in the world. The project will include two two-lane highways separated by a service corridor and two railway tracks.
“Currently, if you take the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg, it takes about 4.5 hours,” said Jens Ole Kaslund, Technical Director at Femern A/S. “When the tunnel is completed, the same journey will only take 2.5 hours. Many people fly between the two cities, but in the future, taking the train will be better.”
In addition to benefits for passenger trains and vehicles, the tunnel will also positively impact freight trains and trucks by providing a shorter road route between Sweden and Central Europe, reducing the distance by 160km compared to current routes.
This mega project is valued at €10 billion, with the European Union contributing €1.1 billion.
To construct the tunnel, 89 massive concrete sections are being assembled at a depth of 40 meters below the Baltic Sea. These will be built on land and then lowered into the water using cranes. Femern A/S, the Danish state-owned company responsible for the project, hopes to have the first section of the project ready by 2024.
Visual representation of how the concrete segments are constructed and lowered into the water. (Photo: Femern A/S).
Once positioned correctly, the concrete segments will be connected, and other components such as railway tracks, ventilation systems, and cameras will be installed. Some environmental groups have raised concerns about the tunnel’s impact on wildlife in the Fehmarn Belt area, which is protected by the EU.
However, Femern A/S states that the tunnel will increase capacity, reduce congestion on the road and rail networks in Denmark. The company also claims the project will significantly save time, energy, fuel, and reduce CO2 emissions.
