A European rail link

European Rail Traffic Management System
There are more than 20 different types of rail systems in Europe, often making the cross-border train traffic problematic and slow. To make the train an attractive traveling choice and a good alternative for transporting freight, inter-European connections have to be improved to run smoothly.

Therefore, there have been discussions about a single signalling and train control system in Europe for decades. In 2005, the European Commission and various rail stakeholders in Europe signed a declaration of intend that they would start the implementation of a European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Eventually, this would lead to a better traffic flow, because trains would not have to stop at any borders.

Freight corridor from Stockholm to Naples
It has been decided that the system will initially be implemented within a network of freight corridors linking different parts of Europe and accounting for 20 per cent of Europe’s overall freight traffic. In the new EU TEN-T guidelines, the Fehmarnbelt link is part of the high priority Corridor 5 from Helsinki to Valetta on Malta via the Fehmarnbelt.

The transport time for freight trains from Stockholm via Copenhagen, Hamburg, Munich and Verona to Naples is 55-58 hours (2006) equating to an average speed of 65 km/h. The aim is to reduce travel time by removing the bottlenecks along the route and increasing capacity in the corridor. The new Brenner Tunnel through the Alps and the Fehmarnbelt tunnel will play an important role in this.

The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel removes a bottleneck
Through the opening of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, the train ride will not be slowed down by the ferry connection from Rødbyhavn to Puttgarden nor through the 160 km long detour via Jutland. The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will allow for the train to go straight through the Baltic Sea. This will bring Scandinavia closer to the rest of Europe and vice versa.