A HUGE £4billion (€4.8billion) underwater tunnel will soon connect Scandinavia to Europe.
First put forward in 2011, the tunnel will travel between Rødby in Denmark and Puttgarden in Germany.
Currently connected by a 45-minute ferry crossing, the two European destinations will be linked by an underground train that takes just seven minutes – saving more than 30 minutes on journey times.
Part of the transport sector’s green transition, the underwater tunnel, dubbed the Fehmarnbelt Link, will have electrified train tracks as well as four lanes for car traffic.
Cars will be able to make the 18km journey in just 10 minutes, according to construction company Sund & Bælt.
The Fehmarnbelt Link, which is being placed under the Baltic Sea, will be the longest underwater rail and road tunnel in the world when it opens in 2029.
Construction work formally began at the beginning of 2021, with the first stage of its construction being inaugurated by Danish King Frederik X earlier this month.
The tunnel is being built by construction firm Sund & Baelt and will consist of 89 concrete elements, which are being made in Roedbyhavn in Denmark.
Later this year, the first section of the underwater tunnel will be submerged into the seabed.
According to Ground Engineering, Boss of Sund & Bælt, Mikkel Hemmingsen, said: “Today is visible proof of how far we have come. Just as this project builds on the experience from the Great Belt and Øresund, the Fehmarnbelt tunnel will show the way for many other major projects in Denmark and in the rest of the world.”
The Fehmarnbelt Link is expected to cost 55.1 billion kroner (€4.8 billion/£4billlion) to build.
A toll fee for the tunnel will be decided at a later stage, with the charge helping to cover costs of the build.
Denmark and Germany aren’t the only European countries that could soon see an underwater tunnel being built.
This is because another underwater tunnel could soon connect Spain to Morocco.
The tunnel, which would have a train service between the two countries, would link up to Spain‘s high-speed train lines and the high-speed rail between Casablanca and Tangier which opened last year.
The route would depart from Madrid’s main station, with stops in Algeciras, before crossing the Strait of Gibraltar via the tunnel.
It would then stop in Tangier in Morocco, before ending in Casablanca.
If it goes ahead, it could take just 5hr30 to travel between the two cities.
Sun Travel’s favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel’s journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
Several new train stations are set to open across the West Midlands, including Moseley Village Train Station, which first opened to the public in 1867, but closed down in 1941 as a wartime economy measure.
It will be one of three stations to reopen along the Camp Hill line in Birmingham, with the other two stations being Pineapple Road and Kings Heath.