Yesterday, a majority in Parliament agreed to give the go-ahead to start the process of constructing the 18-km long tunnel under the Fehmarn Belt that will connect Denmark to Germany.
The consortium responsible for the construction, Femern A/S, has now been asked to negotiate the contracts for the first phase of construction.
Time now ripe
“The time is now ripe to start construction of the tunnel. I’m happy to announce that we have decided to start work on the Danish side,” said the transport and housing minister, Ole Birk Olesen.
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The tunnel is scheduled to open in 2028 and the work will partly be funded by the EU to the tune of 4.4 billion kroner. When completed, it ought to save train travellers between Copenhagen and Hamburg up to two hours each way and drivers up to an hour each way.
Tunnel vision
Femern A/S expects the first work to begin in the autumn of 2019.
Among the first tasks will be the construction of a plant in Rødbyhavn to produce tunnel elements, the building of a tunnel portal on Lolland, building living and administration facilities, and ordering special machinery to operate in the maritime environment.
Possible hiccup
However, there is still a minor fly in the ointment. It is expected that a judgment in the German regional court will result in challenges, so the work on the German side will not be able to start before this issue is clarified.
However, the tunnel’s schedule is based on work starting first on the Danish side.
