TRAVEL times between two European countries are set to be halved as the world’s longest undersea road and rail tunnel takes shape.
The 18-kilometre project will carry a four-lane motorway as well as two electrified railway tracks.
This ambitious project will see an immersed tunnel connect Rødbyhavn on Denmark’s Lolland Island with Puttgarden on Germany’s Fehmarn Island.
Known as the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, the infrastructure project is steadily taking shape beneath the Baltic Sea, and is set to be complete by 2029.
Femern, the Danish state-owned company behind the project, said the tunnel is “Denmark’s largest infrastructure project and the world’s longest immersed tunnel and rail link”.
The structure is assembled from massive prefabricated concrete elements, which are built onshore before being floated into position and sunk into a pre-dredged trench on the seabed.
Once complete, the tunnel will dramatically cut crossing times between the destinations, taking just 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train, a considerable decrease from the current 45- to 60-minute ferry ride.
The project estimated to cost around £6.4 billion, an amount financed largerly through loans repaid by tolls, with the European Union also granting £1.1 billion.
The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link will form a key part of Europe’s transport corridors, helping to boost freight efficiency and reduce emissions through increased rail use.
When finished, the Fehmarnbelt will claim the title of the world’s longest road and rail immersed undersea sea tube tunnel.
The project, which began construction in 2021, will surpass current records like the 6.7 kilometre immersed section of China’s Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge.
Meanwhile, the project’s innovative immersed design marks a new era in sustainable cross-border connectivity, with Femern commending it as a “safe, tested and efficient way of building an underwater tunnel”.
“The technology is Danish-developed and builds on experiences from, among others, the Øresund Tunnel,” the company said.
“The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will be just as safe as a corresponding section of motorway above ground. The tunnel is equipped with continuous hard shoulders and emergency exits along its entire length.”