New undersea tunnel to connect Denmark and Germany

A new undersea tunnel costing £6.2 billion is being built in Europe. The tunnel, called the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, will connect Denmark and Germany. It is set to be the largest road and rail tunnel in the world and will change travel in the region significantly. The tunnel will be 18 kilometers long. It will cut the ferry journey between Lolland Island in Denmark and Fehmarn Island in Germany from 45 minutes to just 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train. The tunnel will have two roads and two rail lines, allowing trains to travel at speeds of up to 125 mph. Construction of the tunnel started recently. The first concrete sections were produced in Rødbyhavn on Lolland Island. Each section is 217 meters long and weighs 73,000 tons, equivalent to 10 Eiffel Towers. A total of 79 sections will be used to create the tunnel, which will be built 40 meters beneath the Baltic Sea. The Danish state-owned company, Femern A/S, is managing the project. A spokesperson explained that they are installing equipment needed for the tunnel during construction to save time later. The tunnel will reduce train travel time between Hamburg and Copenhagen from nearly five hours to about two and a half hours. Tourism leaders say the new tunnel will boost tourism in Denmark and Scandinavia. It will make traveling easier and faster for visitors from central Europe. There are plans to improve visitor experiences to ensure that travelers stay and explore Denmark. Some concerns have been raised about the project’s impact on the environment. However, Femern A/S has promised to protect the environment by creating new natural areas where habitats are affected. The CEO stated that they aim to create even better natural spaces than those that will be impacted by the project. The tunnel is expected to be completed by 2029.