The fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt will reduce travel time between Scandinavia and Continental Europe. Today it takes 45 minutes by ferry (plus waiting time). When the fixed link is complete, rail passengers will make the journey in just seven minutes while motorists will cross the 20 km wide belt of water in 10 minutes. Travel time for a train journey between Copenhagen and Hamburg will be shortened from the current four and a half hours to under three.
The fixed link will close a gap in the rail network between Scandinavia and central Europe and will be supported by the EU as one of the Community’s prioritised railway corridors in Europe. In the future, freight trains will be able to avoid the 160 km detour via Storebælt. It will create a strong transport corridor between the Øresund Region in Denmark and Sweden and Hamburg in Germany. In this way, the foundation will be laid for the emergence of a more competitive region – the Fehmarnbelt region.
The link will create the potential for new jobs in the region, both during the construction of the fixed link and when the project is complete. Better access will strengthen tourism in the region. Research, culture and the labour market will benefit from a faster link. A basis will be created for cross-border collaboration and an overall improvement of the region’s competitiveness. Closer cultural co-operation between Danish, Swedish and German inhabitants in the Fehmarnbelt region will make the area even more attractive in which to live and work.
The fixed link will not only benefit the centres in Hamburg and Copenhagen/Malmö but also offer new opportunities for the inhabitants on the route between the two metropolises. In the long run, the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt will create the basis for greater prosperity and higher living standards on both sides of the link.
The Fehmarnbelt link is part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor, a north-south corridor, which extends the entire way from the Finnish-Russian border to Valetta on Malta. The corridor is regarded as very important for the European economy and links Europe’s growth centre together from north to south.
Along with the Brenner tunnel, the Fehmarnbelt link is a key project in the corridor. Both are cross-border projects and remove two important bottlenecks in the European transport system. Both projects, therefore, receive support from the EU.
The Scandinavia-Mediterranean corridor is part of the European main network, which primarily comprises nine corridors. The main network makes up the backbone of the transport network in the EU’s single market.
The aim is to remove bottlenecks, enhance the infrastructure and streamline cross-border transport for the benefit of travellers and companies throughout Europe. .
Read more on Femern’s website.