Construction of the World’s Longest Submerged Tunnel

Denmark’s most extensive infrastructure endeavor and the world’s longest submerged tunnel, the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, is set to eliminate a bottleneck, reduce travel times, and bolster connections between Scandinavia and Central Europe, as reported by the railway portal Railway Supply, citing balticbuildmedia.

Upon its completion in 2029, the journey between Rødbyhavn and Puttgarden will be a mere 7 minutes by train and 10 minutes by car.

The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will feature a four-lane motorway and two electrified rail tracks.

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Currently, the train ride from Hamburg to Copenhagen takes 4.5 hours, and the journey between Stockholm and Hamburg spans 10 hours.

However, once the tunnel and the enhancements to the rail infrastructure on both sides of the link are finished, this travel time will be slashed by 2 hours.

This monumental project forms an integral part of the European TEN-T network, designed to streamline infrastructure and reduce the environmental footprint of Europe’s transport system.

The tunnel itself will comprise two tubes for the motorway, two for the railway line, and a service passage.

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It will consist of 89 tunnel elements, each measuring 217 meters in length and weighing 73,000 tonnes, including 79 standard elements and ten special elements.

Each tunnel element will house essential technical equipment within its basement area.

These tunnel elements will be positioned within a 12-meter-deep trench on the seabed.

Once these elements are assembled, technical installations within the tunnel will be activated.

Subsequently, the tunnel will be covered with gravel, sand, and stone.

Additionally, the project encompasses electrifying the existing railway line to accommodate electric trains instead of diesel-powered ones.

Furthermore, the track between Ringsted and Rodby will undergo enhancements to facilitate freight trains’ operations.

The existing motorways will also receive upgrades to seamlessly connect with the new tunnel.

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