Fehmarn: Railway wants to electrify Fehmarnsund Bridge line and faces criticism

Will the Fehmarnbelt crossing become more expensive again? Because the construction of the tunnel between the island of Fehmarn and the mainland is delayed, Deutsche Bahn is considering an interim solution. The Federal Court of Auditors considers this too expensive.

Since the 7-kilometer-long Fehmarnsundtunnel, which is to connect the island of Fehmarn with the mainland on the German side, will only be completed after the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, Deutsche Bahn needs a transitional solution. This involves temporarily routing rail traffic over the Fehmarnsund Bridge. The bridge has a two-lane road and a single-track, non-electrified railway line. However, this transitional solution would require the line to be electrified.

The Federal Court of Auditors criticizes this concept: The electrification will cost more than 60 million euros, and a later dismantling at least another 7.5 million euros, reports the news magazine Der Spiegel, citing a report from the authority to several committees in the German Bundestag, which is classified as confidential.

However, it is not certain that the bridge from the 1960s, nicknamed the “coat hanger,” can withstand the “stresses of future rail traffic,” writes the Federal Court of Auditors in its report. It refers to a feasibility study by Deutsche Bahn, according to which “further fatigue damage to the bridge structure” could occur, “even if rail traffic uses the bridge only temporarily and in a reduced form.”

Costs are rising

The hinterland connection on the German side was supposed to be completed in 2029 and cost 8.05 billion euros. According to the report, completion is now expected in 2032 or 2033. The costs could rise to 10.7 billion euros. The costs are “considerable and continue to rise,” criticizes the Federal Court of Auditors.

However, the entire project is being delayed on both the German and Danish sides. The Fehmarnbelt tunnel, like the Fehmarnsund tunnel, was supposed to be completed in 20209. It is now expected in 2031. Both sides want to clarify details in the autumn.

The Fehmarnbelt crossing consists of two parts: the tunnel under the Fehmarnbelt from Denmark to the island of Fehmarn and the hinterland connection, which crosses the Fehmarnsund between the island and the mainland. The fixed link is intended to replace the previous ferry connection. The crossing of the strait will then take only 7 minutes by train and 10 minutes by car. The ferry takes about three-quarters of an hour without waiting time.

The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will consist of 89 segments, which will be sunk into a 12-meter-deep trench on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Such a component is 217 meters long and 42 meters wide. It weighs 73,500 tons and is additionally weighted with 4500 tons of ballast to make it sink. It comprises four tubes, two each for rail and road traffic, and a rescue tube. The first segment was lowered in May of this year.

(wpl)