One of the longest tunnels is being built between the European countries of Denmark and Germany. This tunnel, which will be built under the Baltic Sea, will reduce travel times and also improve the Scandinavian country’s connection with the rest of Europe.
The tunnel is called ‘Fehmerbelt’, which will be 18 kilometers (11 miles) long. The tunnel is going to be the longest rail and road tunnel in the world. The tunnel parts are being connected to each other like Lego toys on the seabed. These parts are made in a factory built on the coast of the Danish island of Lolland, then they are floated out to sea and lowered to a specific location.
90 huge tunnel ‘elements’ are being connected to each other on the seabed like Lego bricks. Each part is 217 meters long, 42 meters wide and weighs more than 73 thousand tons. It uses concrete and reinforced steel frames.
The BBC reports that the project will cost around 7.4 billion euros ($8.1 billion), with Denmark providing the bulk of the funding. The European Union has provided 1.3 billion euros. It is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe.
Once completed, the tunnel will take just 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train to get from the Danish city of Rodbyhavn to the German city of Puttgarten. It currently takes 45 minutes to get there by ferry. The tunnel will better connect not only Denmark and Germany, but all of Scandinavia with Europe.
The new tunnel will cut the travel time from Copenhagen to Hamburg by train from 5 hours to 2.5 hours.
The tunnel will have five separate sections – two for trains, two for cars (two lanes on each side) and an emergency and maintenance corridor.
Denmark and Germany signed an agreement on the project in 2008, but work was delayed by objections from environmentalists and ferry companies. In 2020, a German court allowed the project. A 300-hectare nature reserve is being created to reduce environmental damage, made from sand and rock excavated during the tunnel excavation.
When the tunnel opens in 2029, it is expected to carry about 100 trains and 12,000 cars per day. The debt incurred for the construction will be gradually repaid with revenue from toll fees. This will take about 40 years. The Danish island of Lolland was once an economically backward area. Locals hope that the tunnel will boost new businesses, jobs and tourism.
Source: BBC