Earlier this year, the Danish-born transport, business and tourism minister for Schleswig-Holstein, Claus Ruhe Madsen, issued a warning: the state would be laughed at throughout Europe if the hinterland work for the Fehmarnbelt tunnel was not completed on time. He also warned that there was a “realistic risk” that the work would be delayed.
More optimistic tones
Now there are more optimistic notes from Schleswig-Holstein after the 7.7-kilometre long construction section for the Femernsund tunnel has been included in a federal program to speed up major projects:
– We are keeping the schedule and believe that the tunnel will be ready by the end of 2029, says railway spokesman Peter Mantik, to lb-online.de.
Not yet started
Officially, however, the planning process for the Femernsund tunnel has not yet started.
– We are still in the design and approval planning phase. It is not yet possible to say when this will be completed. The soil conditions are of central importance to the planning, and we hope to be able to carry out test drilling within a few weeks, says railway spokesman Peter Mantik to ln-online.de.
The planning time is crucial
The planning time for the tunnel is crucial: When asked at the federal project management agency for major road works, Deges, they refer to the partner, Deutsche Bahn. The direction lies with DB, says DEGES spokesman Ulf Evert:
– From Deges’ side, all the necessary services for a timely procedure and a subsequent timely start of construction have been delivered on time and will continue to be delivered according to plan in the future, says Ulf Evert to ln-online.de.
Will be 19 per cent more expensive
However, the costs of the project do not quite stick to the plan. The prices of materials, among other things, have risen sharply. From the start, the budget was 714 million Euros. In the summer of 2022, the federal Department of Transportation asked the state for a current cost estimate. Based on the construction price index from the Federal Statistical Office, they calculated an increase of 19 per cent to almost 850 million euros for 2021, writes ln-online.de.
