World's Longest Underwater Rail And Road Tunnel Linking Denmark And Germany To Open In 2029

Denmark and Germany are progressing towards the completion of the world's longest underwater rail and road tunnel. Danish King Frederik X recently inaugurated the first element of the 18-kilometre Fehmarnbelt tunnel under the Baltic Sea.

The estimated cost of the project is 4.8 billion euros. The Fehmarnbelt link, set to open in 2029, will drastically reduce travel time across the Baltic Sea. The current 45-minute ferry crossing will be shortened to just seven minutes by train, and cars will be able to make the trip in 10 minutes.

The tunnel will connect Roedby in Denmark to Puttgarten in Germany, with onward road and rail links extending to central Europe and the Nordic countries.

Sund & Baelt, the company responsible for building the Fehmarn link, claims it will be the longest submersible tunnel in the world, featuring an electrified train track and four lanes for car traffic, reports Euro News.

The decision to build this immersed tunnel was made in 2011, linking the southern Danish island of Lolland with the northern German island of Fehmarn. Work commenced on the Danish side in July 2022 and on the German side a year later.

The tunnel will consist of 89 concrete elements, being constructed at a special facility in Roedbyhavn on Lolland, dubbed Northern Europe's largest construction site. The first element was cast in May.