Fehmarnbelt Link, Denmark

In spite of close physical proximity to the rest of western Europe and now fellow members of the European Community, geography has made Denmark and Sweden historically reliant upon ferry connections with countries to the south.

This situation has been eroded to well-received effect through the creation of fixed road/rail links such the bridge-tunnel crossings of the Great Belt within western Denmark (opened in 1998) and the Øresund between Malmo, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark (2000).

Almost 20 years under consideration, the latest project to be approved is the Fehmarnbelt Link, the name relating to the 19km (11.8 mile) Baltic channel separating Germany and Denmark.

The project

Subject to Danish and German parliamentary ratification expected by 2009, a treaty signed in September 2008 will lead to a fixed link between Puttgarden on Fehmarn island, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and Rødby on the Danish island of Lolland.

Each island is already rail-connected to their respective national systems. With a ferry link, these are traversed by the Vogelfluglinie ('bird flight line', an allusion to migration by the direct route), a DSB/DB jointly operated passenger service between Hamburg Hbf and Copenhagen Central (København H) stations.

Project execution is largely in Danish hands, as is the funding. Wholly owned by the Danish government under Sund & Bælt Holding AS, and modelled on operations for the Øresund and Great Belt projects, Femern Bælt AS is initially charged with preliminary arrangements.

The German contribution directly relates only to connecting lines and roads. For rail these will mainly be improvements over the 89km (55 miles) between Lübeck and Puttgarden.

The Hamburg-Lübeck section is already subject to an upgrading and electrification project. Femern Bælt has invited bids from pre-qualified consortia formed largely of Danish, German, British and Japanese companies to tender as technical consultants for detailed planning. Tendering covers both the surface and tunnel options for the crossing, of which only will be built. Contracts should be signed during 2009.

Infrastructure

To accommodate four motorway lanes and a twin-track railway, a cable-stayed bridge has been selected as the preferred Fehmarnbelt crossing.

An immersed tunnel is also being considered, the eventual means chosen being subject to criteria that includes cost, implications for shipping in this vital sea channel and, particularly relevant to the sparsely populated areas and natural habitats at either end of the crossing, the environment.

The main line west from Copenhagen carries traffic to the second and third largest Danish cities, respectively Aarhus and Odense, also to Germany via the Great Belt and Padborg border crossing.

The route is notoriously restricted by limited main line infrastructure, the parallel Copenhagen suburban S-tog as far as Høje Taastrup being a free-standing system.

Existing planning for increasing capacity here will need revision to take account of the Fehmarnbelt project. This will also bring 25kV electrification from the junction at Ringsted onwards to Rødby.

Rolling stock

Between Rødby and Puttgarden harbour terminals, Vogelfluglinie trains travel aboard Scandlines train ferries with passengers disembarking and embarking aboard for the 45min crossing. For many years Hamburg-Copenhagen was solely operated by Danish IC3 multiple units, supplemented from late 2007 by German ICE Class 605.

Even with completion of the Hamburg-Lübeck electrification, ship access and unpowered sections on both systems require the continued use of diesel units.

By completion of the Fehmarnbelt project, connecting lines will be electrified, albeit with different systems. Germany uses 15kV ac, whereas currently limited to Helsingør-Copenhagen-Padborg, the Danish have installed 25kV ac.

Dual voltage locomotives for freight and passenger stock will therefore be required, comparable to conditions created by the Oresund link where dual-voltage Bombardier Contessa units automatically switch between Danish and Swedish power and signalling systems.

Signalling and communications

In 2006 the Danish government committed to a complete signalling systems renewal on the national network controlled by infrastructure by Banedanmark who are seeking resources for a 2018 completion target. It is probable that European ERTMS Level 2 will be adopted for the Fehmarnbelt project.

The future

Construction is expected to start in 2012 with projected start of commercial services in 2018. Upon opening, the Fehmarnbelt fixed link should cut Hamburg-Copenhagen timings by around one-third from the current four-and-a-half hours.

However, the availability of an electrified and faster line means those services are likely to be recast to provide longer distance through-running that is not constrained by the Vogelfluglinie end-points.

Much of the rail freight currently routed by the continuous but longer land route via Padborg is likely to take the Fehmarnbelt crossing.

The Fehmarnbelt scheme's adoption appears to have ended for the foreseeable future a rival project for the more easterly Rostock-Gedser crossing. Twice as long and with differing engineering challenges and implications for connecting infrastructure, this scheme was argued to be more suited to linking Scandinavia with growing markets in central and eastern Europe.

Aside from forecast general rises in traffic levels, and based upon the Øresund and Great Belt examples, it seems certain that the increased capacity, shorter transit times and reduced costs will see the Fehmarnbelt Link greatly increase the region's volume of road and rail journeys.