The huge £6.2bn undersea tunnel that will completely change Europe

A huge new undersea tunnel costing £6.2 billion is set to change the road and rail maps of Europe forever. Work is underway on the Fehmarnbelt tunnel which will link central Europe and Scandinavia, cutting journey times significantly. The 18km tunnel will provide a major connecting route between Denmark and Germany. It will cut the travel time between the Danish island of Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn from 45 minutes by ferry to 10 minutes by car and seven minutes by train.

The Fehmarnbelt will include two roads in both directions and two electrified rail lines capable of reaching 125mph. It is expected to be completed by 2029 and will become the world's largest road and rail tunnel and the world's longest immersed tunnel. Last month, the first concrete tunnel sections left the factory in Rødbyhavn on Lolland Island. They are each 217m in length and weigh 73,000 tons, which is the equivalent of 10 Eiffel Towers. A total of 79 of these sections, as well as 10 shorter versions, will be laid from Lolland Island to Puttgarden, in Fehmarn, to create the tunnel up to 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea.

The sections will be towed to the sea before being lowered into a dredged trench. They will then be connected by watertight seals before being buried in gravel, sand and stone.

Danish state-owned company Femern A/S is in charge of the project. A spokesperson for the company, Denise Juchem, told CNN: “We try to install as much of the equipment as possible that will later be needed in the finished tunnel. This saves time later and reduces the logistical challenges for the work in the immersed tunnel. In addition, monitoring equipment is installed so that we can check the interior of the element at any time during transport and immersion.”

Juchem continued: “This is a very complex and also very weather-dependent process. We are currently testing the highly complex vessels that have been specially built for our project.”

The tunnel will cut the current train time from Hamburg to Copenhagen from nearly five to two and a half hours. Mads Schreiner, International Market Director at VisitDenmark, told CNN: "The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will be a game-changer for tourism in Denmark and the wider Scandinavian region.

“By significantly reducing travel time between Germany and Denmark, it will make our country more accessible than ever for visitors from central Europe. We expect to see a rise in self-drive tourism, weekend city breaks, and sustainable travel options such as train and cycling tourism. This new connection presents incredible opportunities for destinations in Eastern Denmark, as more travellers will explore beyond Copenhagen.”

Schreiner added: "It is crucial that we ensure visitors choose to stay and experience Denmark rather than just passing through. By investing in infrastructure and creating compelling visitor experiences, we can maximize the tourism potential of this historic project.”

Due to the vast nature of the project, some concerns have been raised over its environmental impact. However, Femern A/S said it is committed to protecting the environment and will create new natural areas where marine and coastal habitats are impacted.

Femern CEO Henrik Vincentsen wrote in the company’s 2023 Sustainability Report: “These sites are part of the natural environment that Femern A/S is establishing as a replacement for the areas affected by the project, and they will eventually develop into extensive wetlands with beach meadows, marshes and dry grassland. Femern A/S aims to leave not just more, but better, nature than before the project started.”