Fehmarnbelt Tunnel: Future of fast, seamless travel between Denmark, Germany

According to a fresh article, BBC describes that a game-changing infrastructure project is taking shape beneath the Baltic Sea, promising to revolutionise travel between Denmark and Germany. The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, set to become the world’s longest pre-fabricated road and rail tunnel, will slash travel times and connect Scandinavia to central Europe like never before.

As construction progresses, this ambitious engineering marvel is poised to reshape the region's travel landscape, cutting hours off commutes and paving the way for a greener future.

Spanning 18 kilometers (11 miles), the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will be the world’s longest pre-fabricated road and rail tunnel. This ambitious feat of engineering will involve placing large tunnel segments on the seafloor and then linking them together, creating an advanced underwater route.

The main construction site for the project is located at the northern entrance of the tunnel on Lolland Island, in southeastern Denmark. This expansive facility covers over 500 hectares (1,235 acres) and houses both a harbor and a factory where the tunnel elements, each measuring 217 meters (712 feet) long and 42 meters wide, are being manufactured.

Henrik Vincentsen, CEO of Femern, the state-owned company leading the construction, emphasises the scale of the project: "It's a huge facility here."

The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will be built using 90 individual elements, each reinforced with steel and concrete. Unlike other underwater tunnels, such as the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France, which burrow through bedrock, these elements will be linked together like Lego bricks on the seabed.

Vincentsen highlights, "We are breaking records with this project. Immersed tunnels have been built before, but never on this scale."

With an estimated cost of 7.4 billion euros ($8.1 billion), the project is primarily funded by Denmark, with additional support from the European Commission. Once completed in 2029, the tunnel will cut travel time from 45 minutes by ferry to just 10 minutes by car or 7 minutes by train between Rødbyhavn in Denmark and Puttgarten in Germany. It will also halve the travel time between Copenhagen and Hamburg, reducing it from five hours to just 2.5 hours, offering a greener and more efficient travel option.

"This project is not just linking Denmark to Germany; it’s linking Scandinavia to central Europe," Vincentsen adds. "Everybody's a winner."

Despite environmental concerns from groups like Nabu, the tunnel has moved forward with minimal impact on local wildlife, including harbor porpoises. The project is expected to improve jobs, business, and tourism in Denmark’s Lolland region, which has long awaited such a transformative development.

As construction continues, the tunnel’s completion will be a significant milestone in strengthening both regional and international travel infrastructure.

By Naila Huseynova