Delays in permitting and tunnel immersion mean the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will now open in two phases – first the road tunnels, then the rail ones.
Germany’s Transport Ministry announced in 2025 it would miss the deadline to open the rail line by 2029 as planned, blaming complex approval and permit procedures.
Work on the Danish side is currently around two years behind schedule owing to issues with a specialised vessel used to immerse tunnel elements.
German underwater noise restrictions may cause further delays.
Mikkel Hemmingsen, chief executive of the state-run Sund & Bælt, said: “It is unfortunate for the green transition and for rail passengers that the railway cannot open at the same time as the road connection.
“A phased opening makes it possible to put the tunnel into use earlier for road traffic, while also reducing complexity in the final stage of the project.”
The 18km-long Fehmarnbelt tunnel linking Germany and Denmark claims to be the world’s longest immersed combined road and rail tunnel as well as northern Europe’s largest infrastructure project.
Last month saw the submersion of the tunnel’s first concrete section (pictured), a precast segment 217m long and weighing 73,500 tonnes. It has two road tubes, two rail tubes and a service tunnel.
Construction began in 2020 on the Danish side and in 2021 on the German side.
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