WORKS PROGRAMME FOR «FEMERN TUNNELS PROJECT»
The fixed link will considerably reduce the travel time between Scandinavia and continental Europe: Whilst the current ferry transit takes 45 minutes (plus waiting time), train passengers will require only seven minutes, car drivers no more than ten. The duration of a train journey between Hamburg and Copenhagen will be cut short from about four and a half to merely three hours.
Rail link saves 160-km detour
The fixed link closes a gap between the Scandinavian and European rail networks and is supported by the EU as part of one of the top priority rail corridors for Europe. In the future, freight trains will be able to avoid the 160 km longer detour via the Great Belt. This will create a strong transport corridor between the Øresund region in Denmark/Sweden and Hamburg in Germany, allowing a new greater and more competitive region – the Fehmarnbelt region – to emerge.
Creating new jobs
New jobs will be created, both during the construction and after the opening of the fixed link, and consumers will furthermore benefit from lower expenses due to stronger competition. The better accessibility will also strengthen tourism in the region. Science and culture, too, will profit from the faster connection: Cross-border research clusters can be established, further improving the competitiveness of the region. Closer cultural exchange between German, Danish and Swedish inhabitants of the Fehmarnbelt region will make it an even more attractive area to live in.
The fixed link will not only benefit the centres of Hamburg and Copenhagen/Malmø but also offer opportunities for the regions situated in between both metropolises. In the long run, both increased prosperity and a higher standard of living can thus be achieved.
