The project is set to drastically reduce travel time between Scandinavia and Central Europe.
20:44, Sat, May 2, 2026 Updated: 20:46, Sat, May 2, 2026
The project is set to drastically reduce travel time between Scandinavia and Central Europe (Image: Youtube/The Impossible Build)
An under-construction £6.2billion project is anticipated to become the world's longest underwater rail and road tunnel and drastically reduce travel time between Scandinavia and Central Europe under the Baltic Sea. The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, also known as the Fehmarn Belt tunnel, will transform the current 45-minute ferry crossing into a much quicker train journey, connecting southern Denmark with northern Germany.
Expected to be completed by 2029 and hailed by Danish planning company Femern as "Denmark's largest infrastructure project and the world's longest immersed tunnel and rail link," the 11-mile structure is set to connect the Danish island of Lolland with Germany's Fehmarn island. Originally, the project was estimated to cost over £4.6billion, but this figure soon rose to £6.2billion in 2010 after the signing of the joint treaty to build the tunnel. The Danish government intends to finance and recover the tunnel's costs through tolls collected at the crossing.
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Cars will be able to cross the Baltic Sea in 10 minutes and trains in just seven (Image: Youtube/The Impossible Build)
The tunnel will establish a direct link from Roedby in Denmark to Puttgarten in Germany, providing onward connections by road and rail to central Europe and the Nordic countries. It will replace the heavily used ferry service currently run by Scandlines.
Motorists will be able to cross the Baltic Sea in only 10 minutes via the four-lane route, while train journeys are expected to take just seven minutes. The tunnel's electrified high-speed rail line will allow its trains to reach speeds of up to 125mph.
Femern has emphasised that an immersed tunnel is a "safe, tested and efficient way of building an underwater tunnel".
"The technology is Danish-developed and builds on experiences from, among others, the Øresund Tunnel. Once completed, the tunnel will not pose any obstacle to vessel traffic in the Fehmarnbelt. Marine safety is also a top priority during the construction phase.
Construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link began on the Danish side in 2022 and the German side a year later (Image: Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
"The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will be just as safe as a corresponding section of motorway above ground. The tunnel is equipped with continuous hard shoulders and emergency exits along its entire length."
The Institution of Civil Engineers emphasised that the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will sit above the seabed, making it "a remarkable engineering feat".
"Weighing in at 73,500 tonnes apiece, these colossal structures are a testament to modern engineering. Once a tunnel element is ready to be shipped, waterproof bulkheads (barriers) are installed at both ends, and the segment is carefully towed into position by tugboats," they said. "In total, 89 elements will be connected sequentially - much like assembling giant Lego pieces - to form the complete tunnel."
The decision to connect southern Lolland with Fehmarn was made in 2011. Construction began on the Danish side in July 2022, followed by the German side a year later. Currently considered North Europe's largest construction site, the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is expected to be fully operational before the end of the decade.
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