"Failed big time": Politician criticises severe Femern delay

It can take a really, really long time before you can sit on the train and enjoy the brand new connection through the Fehmarn Belt. 

First, you need to travel from Rødbyhavn to Fehmarn through the 18-kilometre-long immersed tunnel. Before you reach the German mainland, you have to drive from the island of Fehmarn and through another tunnel, which is somewhat shorter, "only" 2.2 kilometres.

This is where the problem arises.

Already in October 2024, Ekstra Bladet reported that there were major problems in getting the short rail tunnel ready at the same time as the Fehmarn Belt connection.

Now it is even more uncertain.

Following the case closely

Recently, sn.dk, based on a document from the German Federal Railway Authority, Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, reported that it will take 6.5 years to complete the construction. 

To Ritzau, the transport minister explained in a written comment that the ministry had "reached out to the German Ministry of Transport and requested a detailed explanation of the information in the issued announcement," and that it was a matter he "naturally follows closely."

Fehmarn shuts down for four weeks amid uncertainty about opening in 2029

The Fehmarn factory in Rødbyhavn is taking a four-week summer break, sending up to 2,000 employees on holiday. However, this does not affect the schedule, according to the Fehmarn Belt project.

Now the transport spokesperson for the Denmark Democrats, Kenneth Fredslund, joins the debate. 

In an interview with Politiken, he makes it clear that, according to him, there are "some who have messed it up": 

- Germany has failed big time in relation to the agreement we made with them. Now it must be the transport minister's responsibility to put maximum pressure on the German government, he tells the media.

Kenneth Fredslund believes that the delay is due to a deprioritisation on the German side.

- That's what shakes me. We have invested so many billions and have so much trust that when you make an agreement, you stick to it. But Germany obviously doesn't, he tells Politiken.

So how does it look with the 18-kilometre-long immersed tunnel between Rødbyhavn and Fehmarn - will it be ready on time? It should be ready in 2029, but possibly the schedule won't hold. 

It is at least "significantly challenged", as can be read in the Sund & Bælt's annual report for 2024.