Three consulting groups selected for planning the rail link

Ingenieurbüro Dipl.-Ing. H. Vössing GmbH (Germany) will undertake the railway design, Atkins Danmark A/S (Denmark) will develop the railway safety plan and the Rambøll-Arup-Vectura joint venture (Denmark, UK, Sweden) will undertake the railway capacity analysis.

Femern A/S examines both the possibility of a cable-stayed bridge and of an immersed tunnel. The 19 kilometre long rail link between the German and Danish coasts will therefore be designed as a bridge and a tunnel solution in the initial planning. According to the State Treaty the rail link across the Fehmarnbelt will be built to accommodate speeds of at least 160 kmh for passenger trains and at least 120 kmh for freight trains.

In addition to the overall railway design, Vössing will also define the interfaces between Danish and German rail systems in the planning phase. In the construction phase, Vössing can contribute to preparation of the detailed design for the coast-to-coast section.

Atkins will be in charge of clarifying all the issues relevant to railway safety, including setting the standards which will apply based on legislation in Germany, Denmark and the EU. The consultant will also support Femern A/S with the preparation of the application for approval of the project by the German and Danish authorities. During the construction phase, Atkins can supervise safety and approvals.

Based on the existing prognoses for the number of rail passengers and freight traffic across the Fehmarnbelt, Rambøll-Arup-Vectura will analyse the railway capacity between Ringsted and Lübeck. The consultant’s work will include preparing a proposal for train schedules and identifying bottlenecks along the route.

The three contracts have been entered into as framework agreements with a total value up until 2012 of approximately EUR 2.8 million, equivalent to DKK 21 million. The agreements for design and railway safety are prepared to run right up until the rail infrastructure is taken into use.

Any further information can be obtained from Jan Schneider-Tilli, Project Director Railway, Femern A/S. Direct telephone +45 33 41 63 51.

For general information you may also contact the following:

Denmark: Karsten Holmegaard, Femern A/S, +45 33 41 63 35, kho@femern.de

Germany: Inga Karten, miller und meier consulting GbR, +49 (0) 30 288 76 59 38, ikn@femern.de