The rail line to the Fehmarnbelt to be upgraded

On the Danish side, Rail Net Denmark is well into the planning stages for the future railway for the Fehmarnbelt fixed link and the so-called EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) process. As part of this, there are public hearings on the Fehmarnbelt–Danish landworks project until 10 April during which private citizens, businesses and organisations can submit comments and participate in the debate about the project.

Work on the Danish side will be extensive. Between Vordingborg and Holeby – but not including the Storstrøm Bridge – an extra track will be laid, the line will be electrified from Ringsted to Femern, some track has to be straightened and more than 50 bridges will be upgraded or replaced.

This will result in extra capacity on the line, particularly for freight trains. In addition, passenger trains will be able to run at speeds of between 160 to 200 km/hour depending on the final, political decision.

”Denmark and Germany have signed a treaty on extending the rail facilities on both sides of the Fehmarnbelt link. Rail Net Denmark’s task is to identify solutions that meet traffic requirements and, at the same time, respect nature and people as much as possible,” explains Martin Munk Hansen, Area Manager at Rail Net Denmark.

To remedy noise nuisance on the line, a total of 18 km of noise screens will be erected and 1,900 homes equipped with noise insulation. A further 100 properties or more will have be expropriated to make way for the new facilities.

On the German side, preparations for the upgrading of the railway up to the link's abutment are also under way. The existing railway between Lübeck and Puttgarden will be electrified and additional capacity created on the single-track line between Bad Schwartau and Puttgarden. "Germany will provide the necessary hinterland connections for the railway," says Ute Plambeck, Management Representative of the Deutsche Bahn AG for the Federal States Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

Just like for Martin Munk Hansen, also for Ute Plambeck consideration is important: "The required work must, at one and the same time, consider people, the economy and the environment. The regional planning procedure is currently proceeding under the auspices of the state of Schleswig-Holstein during where all aspects will be studied in detail."

No later than seven years after the opening of the coast-to-coast link, the rail line will have to be extended to double track between Bad Schwartau and Puttgarden. However, as is the case at the Storstrøm Bridge, the Fehmarnsund bridge between the German mainland and the island of Fehmarn will remain single track.