The vessel

The vessel IVY is made up of two units, IVY 1 and IVY 2. For the longer elements (217 metres), “each end is securely attached to IVY 1 and 2, which provide buoyancy”, a note from the official website of the project explained.

For the shorter special components (39 metres), the two units are put together to form one vessel. IVY will also feature 23 kilometres of steel wire spread over 66 winches. This allows it to submerge elements 40 metres below the water with high precision. While the vessel was being tested, the bed of the sea was made ready to welcome the structures of the tunnel.

This month, IVY will be taken near the Danish entrance of the tunnel and the elements will be loaded with ballast to make sure they sink. “IVY 1 and 2 will then transport the element to the trench and immerse it in a controlled and precise operation”, the Femern note added.

The Fehmarnbelt tunnel

The project for a tunnel under the Fehmarn Strait was officially approved by the Danish government in 2011. Construction started in 2021 with initial estimates of 5,1 billion euros, but it has now increased to roughly 7,5 billion euros. Other than rising costs, the project also experienced delays. The commissioning of the tunnel was planned for 2029, but it is now postponed by two years.

The Fehmarnbelt tunnel

The ambition for iPort Zealand is to become a key hub in the region, especially in lieu of the future Fehmarnbelt tunnel, one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe. It is an 18-kilometre underwater tunnel connecting the Danish island of Lolland to the German coast. There will be two electrified railway lines and four lanes of road, for a total cost of 7,4 billion euros based on 2015 values (around 10 billion euros today).

The grand opening has been planned for 2029, but a few hiccups will likely delay it. The most recent issue concerns the vessel which will have to take the tunnel parts at sea and drop them to the bottom, but its preparation is running 1 and a half years late. “It remains uncertain how much of the lost time can be recovered in the coming years”, the company overseeing the project said in September.

Verdion’s iPorts

The iPort Zeeland will not be the first initiative of this kind for Verdion. The real estate developer already undertook a similar project in Doncaster, in the heart of England. The English industrial and logistics site spreads across 337 hectares and is a key hub for connections to various UK ports. A similar role is envisioned for iPort Zeeland as well. “iPort Zealand is set to become a major new cluster for Danish business in an unparalleled strategic location,” Michael Hughes, CEO of Verdion, said.

No rolling stock upgrades required

SGL states that a container can be transferred from truck to rail wagon and vice versa in 60 seconds. “As the process can be done simultaneously, an entire train set can be unloaded and loaded swift and lean”, the company pointed out. Moreover, this system does not require any upgrade to the rolling stock, as the CTS wagon unit is mounted on the existing locking mechanism.

Ideally, the CTS would be installed in various hubs. Trucks would pick up goods within a 50 kilometres radius and bring it to these hubs to move their containers on the trains for the longest leg of the journey. Then, the system would help moving the containers back on road vehicles for last-mile deliveries.

Trains run six times per week between Maschen, south of Hamburg, to Malmö in southern Sweden. Previously, only 740-metre trains were allowed beyond Fredericia. But now, 835-metre trains weighing 2,300 tonnes are also making their way across the strait.

First test in 2021

A first test with a 835-metre train over the Öresund bridge was carried out in 2021. At the time, Sweden only allowed trains with a maximum length of 630 metres on its network, with a single exception in the north.

Trains of 835 metres in length would boost the capacity of a single train up to 55 45-foot containers, compared to the previous 41 units.

The system is not without its faults, however. It requires a lot of manual maintenance, as the screws that keep the magnets in their place need to be checked to prevent them from getting loose. That is an especially difficult process, according to Swedish media, because there are long stretches of constantly busy rail.

A new technology

Now, a new technology is looking to reduce the need for physical presence on the bridge to check the magnets. A system developed by the company Strainlabs is supposed to monitor the dust-removing magnets as part of a pilot project. The product includes special bolts, a signalling system and accompanying software.

“There are many screws on the plant – not only on the railway but in large structures, bridge bearings, underground pumps and more – connections that are constantly exposed to vibrations, weather and wind. This is an important evaluation step of how reliable the data is and we look forward to following the pilot project. We are open to testing new innovations at our facility, which, according to our experience, often results in a win-win”, comments a representative of the bridge.

“It is necessary for train operations that the German railway connection – including a new Fehmarn Sundtunnel – are ready for the opening of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel”, a media spokesperson of Sund & Bælt, the company behind the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, tells RailFreight.com. The Fehmarnbelt tunnel to Denmark is entirely dependent on the Sundtunnel for rail freight operations.

Bridge replacement

The Fehmarnsund bridge, which is currently in use to connect Fehmarn to Germany, is old and too weak to facilitate heavy rail freight traffic. “The existing Fehmarnsund bridge will be preserved as a landmark at the request of the region and the municipalities and is currently being renovated”, Deutsche Bahn (DB) explains to RailFreight.com. Germany decided upon a tunnel as replacement for the bridge in 2020. “The new tunnel will be a 2,2-kilometre long immersed tunnel with four lanes for the road and two tracks for the railroad”, says DB.

“Construction work on the Sundtunnel is scheduled to begin in 2026 and be completed at the same time as the Danish Belt Tunnel goes into operation. The approval documents are expected to be submitted to the Federal Railway Authority at the beginning of next year (2025)”, Deutsche Bahn says. DB’s explanation shows no sign of trouble on the horizon.

Delay until 2035

The Danish Ekstra Bladet, on the other hand, says that memos from Sund & Bælt show that Germany’s schedule is based on the assumption that there will be no delays in approval. But exactly that is the main issue, according to the Danish publication, which claims that environmental approvals and complaints are delaying the project until 2035 at the latest.

While Danish politicians express doubts about the timetable, with the transport ministry calling it “ambitious”, there seems to be little coordination between the two sides on the completion of the project: “The German railway connections to the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel is entirely the responsibility of Germany, and work is carried out by Deutsche Bahn”, Sund & Bælt says. “The work on the German railway connection takes place independently of the construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel, which is being built by the Danish state-owned entity Femern A/S. It remains our ambition to complete the project by 2029.”

Reportedly, Germany is now working on a “plan B”, which would include reinforcing the existing bridge. But even then, freight trains would likely be too heavy to cross it. If the Sundtunnel is not completed on time, then a projected 70 daily freight trains will have to take the long way around Denmark.

“There is a societal benefit to developing a new infrastructure across the strait. But we see no need for capacity reasons until the very long term”, says Lars Brümmer, strategist and project manager at the Swedish transport administration.

Joint investigation with Denmark

It now proposes that Sweden and Denmark jointly investigate the development of Öresund infrastructure further. The proposal was met with delight in Denmark, where authorities have already come to a similar conclusion.

“The redundancy is not only important for the Greater Copenhagen region, but for all of Sweden and Denmark. From a security point of view, having only a single, fixed connection, which so many people and businesses depend on, is too vulnerable. We must secure commuting and freight transport across the Öresund, so that the region does not come to a standstill when something happens to the existing bridge. It’s also about securing Swedes’ access to Copenhagen airport”, says Copenhagen government official Lars Gaardhöj.

Before another rail line can be built across the Öresund however, Sweden will need to add two new tracks between the towns of Lund and Hässleholm. Only then can capacity along the strait be increased, according to Swedish publication SVT.

Multiple options on the table

There are various options on the table in order to increase capacity across the strait, namely:

• a road-rail tunnel between Helsingborg (SE) and Helsingør (DK) strictly for passenger traffic (HH Tunnel),
• a road-rail tunnel between Landskrona (SE) and Copenhagen (DK) (Europaspåret),
• or an underground railway from Malmö (SE) connected to the Copenhagen Metro System (Öresund Metro).

The HH Tunnel and Öresund Metro projects both entail creating new railway infrastructure for passengers so that the current Öresund Bridge would largely accommodate freight traffic. The Europaspåret, on the other hand, would include the construction of a rail tunnel suitable for both passenger and freight traffic. The second option, the Europaspåret, seems to be the preferred option based on Swedish reporting.

Also read:

• Swedish rail investments “urgent” for industry to flourish
• Sweden upgrades Iron Ore Line, possibly raises TACs for funding
• Railway in Sweden closes to freight traffic, volumes shift to road

A permanent rail route to the port is supposed to be a reality by the end of 2024. It is supposed to connect the port, which has direct links to Norway, to German Duisburg within 20 hours. The route will provide a more competitive and greener alternative to road transportation, and simultaneously relieve the congested Danish roads.

Great expectations

The CEO of the Port of Hirtshals, Per Holm Nørgaard, reacted with a sense of urgency to the arrival of the train. “There has been a lot of talk since the freight terminal was built – but it must end now. Action is now needed”, he said.

“In a strong collaboration with our partners, we are now launching this rail connection from the Port of Hirtshals, which gives Norwegian and North Jutland customers at the port completely new opportunities to create a green connection to the entire European continent, which is also faster. We have great expectations for the possibilities of the rail connection to the Port of Hirtshals”, the CEO added.

Also read:

• DB Cargo Scandinavia to launch pilot service to Danish port town Hirtshals
• ScanMed corridor sees 2024 rebound

This is because, in case of disruption along the bridge, rail-ferry service would only be able to take up about 15 per cent of the traffic. The need for an alternative route to the Öresund Bridge is also deemed necessary in view of the opening of the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel. Expected to be commissioned by 2029, it will significantly improve rail freight connectivity between Germany and Denmark and, more broadly, the whole Scan-Med Corridor.

What did Trafikverket propose?

Trafikverket is currently investigating three possible projects to enhance rail capacity with Denmark, thus improving connectivity with the rest of Europe. The three options are:

• a road-rail tunnel between Helsingborg (SE) and Helsingør (DK) strictly for passenger traffic (HH Tunnel),
• a road-rail tunnel between Landskrona (SE) and Copenhagen (DK) (Europaspåret),
• or an underground railway from Malmö (SE) connected to the Copenhagen Metro System (Öresund Metro).

The HH Tunnel and Öresund Metro projects both entail creating new railway infrastructure for passengers so that the current Öresund Bridge would largely accommodate freight traffic. The Europaspåret, on the other hand, would include the construction of a rail tunnel suitable for both passenger and freight traffic. More information concerning Trafikverket’s investigation should be expected in the second quarter of 2024.

Cross-border bottlenecks in Sweden

The Öresund Strait is not the only headscratcher when it comes to the lack of redundancy along this TEN-T corridor in Sweden. Its northernmost border crossing between Sweden and Norway, known as the Iron Ore Line, was recently closed for almost three months due to two derailments, blocking rail access to the port of Narvik. Moreover, Norway and Sweden are cooperating on trying to find a solution to increase capacity along the Oslo-Gothenburg line, another bottleneck along the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor.

The company states that a fixed rail connection to Hirtshals port can become a reality by 2025. Such a rail service could relieve the congested Danish motorways, with subsequent economic and environmental benefits. Additionally, it would connect Norwegian ports to the mainland European rail network.

Green project

The service is a part of the 3-year Green Jutland Corridor project, which seeks to achieve multimodal efficiency and environmental friendliness in the Jutland Corridor. This corridor is a multimodal transport network connecting Southern Norway, Western Sweden and the Danish mainland with Central Europe.

Also read:

• What is the future of the Oslo-Gothenburg line?

• Kombiverkehr extends Swedish links with two new services

• It’s happening: DB starts construction for Fehmarn Belt Tunnel access