Rail | Fehmarnbelt
growth region in the South Baltic.” The belt, which will be 100%
funded by the Danish government, will have no political restraints, with equal benefits for both countries involved, he says and although it is a complicated undertaking which ‘drives technological advances to new boundaries’, there have been few or no obstacles to its progress with ‘just a small number of minority groups objecting on environmental grounds’. Femern A/S is responsible for
planning and providing the basis for regulatory approval of the coast-to- coast link across the Fehmarnbelt, on behalf of the Danish government. The framework for its work falls
under a treaty between Denmark and Germany, signed by the Danish and German transport ministers in September 2008.
Femern A/S has been carrying out in-depth technical and environmental studies on both sides of Fehmarnbelt as well as in the strait itself for five years. The company examined four
different bridge and tunnel possibilities in order to identify the optimum approach. Having evaluated a bored tunnel as well as a suspension and cable-stayed
bridge, the company recommended an immersed tunnel as its preferred option in November 2010. The official decision will be taken on the adoption of a Construction Act in Denmark in late 2014 and also through the regulatory process in Germany. In anticipation of this, Femern A/S has proceeded with the construction tender process and advance preparatory works. The preparatory works, such as upgrading infrastructure around the proposed construction site, have been going ahead since September 2013. Tunnel construction is scheduled to commence in 2014 and the tunnel is expected to open in 2021.
Following a successful tendering
phase, Femern A/S has now released its plans for the procurement of electrical and mechanical equipment and services.
A new era
Signe Schiling, an analyst with Femern A/S. said that the project represented a ‘new page’ in transport history. Other major transport projects in Denmark, such as the Danish-swedish experience from the Oresund link between Copenhagen and Malmo, and
70 GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY 2014 | ISSUE 01
the Great Belt fixed link between eastern and western Denmark, which have been huge success stories have ‘opened the way’ for this new link which she feels will remove ‘psychological as well as physical barriers between the two countries, paving the way for new connectivity and ways of travelling The planned tunnel, together with upgrades to the surrounding infrastructure, will reduce travel times at one of Europe’s major bottlenecks. High-speed trains will be able to travel between Copenhagen and Hamburg in less than three hours – a 33 per cent reduction.
Flying from Hamburg to
Copenhagen will be almost redundant: it will take just seven minutes to go through the tunnel by train and 10 by road. Cars and lorries currently take 45 minutes to cross the strait by ferry, not including waiting times. Freight trains will no longer have to take a detour through the Danish mainland to reach Germany, shortening the current route by a full 160 kilometres. Average traffic volumes are
expected to increase considerably after the opening of the tunnel.
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