Deutsche Bahn (DB) has commenced construction in Fehmarn to establish the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link that will enable trains to travel between Copenhagen and Hamburg in just two and a half hours.
This project will see trains travel from Copenhagen through the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel via Lübeck to Hamburg.
In total, 88 kilometres of new railway is being built on the German side between Puttgarden (on Fehmarn) and Lübeck.
This will provide a crucial link between the Belt Tunnel, which will connect Lolland in Denmark with the island of Fehmarn, and the mainland in Schleswig-Holstein.
Meanwhile, the Danish Femern A/S is building the Belt Tunnel in Denmark. Joint commissioning for the project is planned for the end of 2029.
The new route will aid both passenger and freight transport and is supported by around 3.5 billion EUR in funding from Schleswig-Holstein, DB and the European Union.
“After years of planning, today we can celebrate the start of construction of the rail connection here on Fehmarn. Together with our Danish partners, we are creating a new European rail connection here in the middle of the Baltic Sea from Denmark via Germany to Italy by 2029. This corridor is just as important for local and long-distance transport here in Schleswig-Holstein as it is for European freight transport.”
DB is initially working on the double-track expansion and electrification of the 11.4-kilometre long route between Puttgarden and the Fehmarnsund Bridge. From 2026, construction will then begin on all sections between Fehmarn and Lübeck.
Once the route is operational in 2029, local and long-distance transport will benefit from more frequent and faster connections between Copenhagen, Fehmarn and Hamburg.
In addition, the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link connection is considered paramount for the new European freight corridor between Oslo and Palermo, as 68 freight trains will run via the route each day.
“The connection to the Fehmarnbelt crossing not only brings Germany and Denmark closer together, but also the whole of Europe. From Hamburg to Copenhagen, train travellers will only need half as long as now at 2.5 hours. But the connection brings so much more. A European rail network is being created on which goods can travel more quickly from north to south - from Oslo to Palermo. A real European milestone.”
