THE UPCOMING FEMERN TUNNEL IS EUROPE’S LARGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, AND WILL CONNECT THE ISLAND OF LOLLAND IN DENMARK WITH THE ISLAND OF FEHMARN IN GERMANY

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WHY BUILD A TUNNEL

FASTER JOURNEY
Currently, crossing the Femern strait takes 45 minutes by ferry between Rødbyhavn in Denmark and Puttgarden in Germany. The tunnel will cut this transport time to 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by rail.

Transport between Copenhagen and Hamburg will be effectively reduced from 4.5 to 2.5 hours.

EASY & FAST COMMUTE ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Commuting will be easier and more efficient by way of electric trains that run up to 200 km per hour, running primarily on renewables.

Workers will find it more plausible to find jobs on both side of the border, giving more opportunities for both Danish ang German workers.

MORE CAPACITY
The Femern tunnel will provide a more direct route between Scandinavia and Central Europe, significantly freeing up road and rail capacity that is currently running through the mainland of Jutland.

The tunnel will be open 24 hours and will largely by unaffected by seasonal weather changes, thus making the journey more accessible than ever before.

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT

It is no secret that the Femern tunnel project has lifted the profile of Lolland-Falster. The region has experienced major growth in recent years and even more so when the tunnel opens.

JOBS
The construction of the tunnel has and will create thousands of jobs directly at the construction site and with sub-contractors. This is signifcant for the regions of Lolland-Falster and the northern part of Schelswig-Holstein.

MIGRATION
The influx of new jobs has also led to both the migration of Danish workers and their families, as well as international workers immigrating with their families to the region.

This boosts the regional demographics, making it more diversified with an international footprint.

This brought the municipality of Lolland to establish Denmark’s first ever public international school in the town of Maribo.

NEW INVESTMENTS
With increased public knowledge and press comes interest from developers and investors, both domestic and international.

Local companies are upgrading their domicile to be more central and visible.

Being at the heart of the Scandinavian and Central-Eastern European corridor, investors have shown vested interest in establishing businesses and developing warehouse and logistics centers along the E20 motorway in Lolland-Falster.

In 2023, a German commercial real estate developer, Peper & Söhne, bought prime plots of land at the hub at motorway exit 48 in Maribo. They will begin construction of spaces for manufacturing and distribution purposes later in the year.

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CONSTRUCTION PHASES

The construction of the Femern tunnel has 8 phases:

1. Site preparation
2. Construction of work harbors in Denmark and Germany
3. Dredging and establishment of new land areas
4. Construction of tunnel factory in Rødbyhavn
5. Portal facilities
6. Production and assembly of tunnel elements
7. Installation of technical equipment
8. Testing and opening

Read more on the construction phases here:
https://femern.com/the-construction/how-we-re-building-the-fehmarnbelt-tunnel/

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SUSTAINABILITY

One of the most critical considerations during the planning of the Femern tunnel has been the environmental impact both marine life and on land. Femern A/S has the utmost task of respecting nature during the construction and operation of the tunnel, thus making them compliant with all environmental requirements set forth by the Danish and German governments and the EU.

Extensive studies have shown that the tunnel will not lead to critical impact to plant and animal life.

Femern A/S is undertaking compensatory measures in order to offset any natural landscape affected by the location and placement of the tunnel.

Measures such as a the creation of an additional 60 ha. of a nature reserve surrounding a new 8 ha. lake, plus an additional few hectares for recreation will benefit the citizens of Lolland.

NEW REEFS
Femern A/S will construct new stone reefs covering 42 ha. of seabed that will provide a good habitat for many of the local plant and animal species, strengthening the biodersity in the area.

FLORA AND FAUNA ON LAND
New green corridors will be createdd near and around the construction site, forming the basis for robust insect populations. Since acquisition of land for construction, Femern A/S has been working with local farmers to continually create green reserves that will comprise of grasslands and woodlands.

Read more about Femern A/S environmental portal here: https://aegir.femern.com/en

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A DECENT WORKPLACE

Femern A/S requires contractors proper and orderly working conditions, including fair pay and decent employment conditions relating to the work environment, safety and accommodation.

Femern A/S bears the responsiblity for the health and safety of people working on the project. They ensure that legislation is followed and have established control mechanisms for its contractors.

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Content sources: www.femern.as & www.femern.info