Fehmarn tunnel consortium to begin construction at Danish end

It has been a long time in gestation but at last, the fixed link to Germany seems to be a big step closer to being realised

Stephen Gadd

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.

READ ALSO: EU judgment a further headache for Fehmarn tunnel project

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.

TOP STORIES

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs