The Fehmarn Belt Link tunnel is expected to be completed in Europe by 2029. But detractors say it will severely impact the environment.
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00:00The world's longest emir's tunnel aims to connect Scandinavia with the rest of Europe.
00:06The Femen Belt Fixed Link will cut down the current rail trip between Hamburg and Copenhagen
00:10from 4.5 hours to 2.5 hours.
00:13The EU granted over 1.1 billion euros towards its construction.
00:17The mega project is set to cost over 7 billion euros in total.
00:21It's part of the Scandinavia-Mediterranean Corridor, which runs all the way from the
00:25Finnish-Russian border to Valletta in Malta.
00:28The EU hopes these new links will contribute strongly to European cohesion and strengthen
00:33the internal market.
00:34The 18-kilometer tunnel will connect Hulby in Denmark to Puttgarden on the German island
00:38of Femen.
00:39The project is due to be completed by 2029, and its supporters say it will offer faster
00:45and greener transport and create jobs.
00:47However, it's been repeatedly delayed amid objections from local ferry companies and
00:51environmental campaigners.
00:53Conservationists believe this area in the Baltic Sea is particularly important to preserve.
00:57You have a 20-kilometer-long tunnel project.
01:01It has an immense impact on the environment.
01:05You have reefs, you have sand dunes, what you actually destroy.
01:09The island of Femen is for marine mammals, for harbour porpoises, marine mammals, and
01:15it's especially the underwater sand dunes which are protected in the middle of the Femen
01:21belt, there where this project takes place.
01:24To build this immersed tunnel, approximately 50 million cubic meters of sand and soil will
01:28need to be excavated from the seabed.
01:31Environmentalists say simpler alternatives should be considered.
01:33They suggest strengthening the existing 160-kilometer rail link between Hamburg and Copenhagen,
01:38known as the Jotterund route.
01:40But supporters of the new tunnel say it creates a clear shortcut that will save energy and
01:44slash CO2 emissions from traffic.
01:46FemenAS, the Danish company building it, says the impacts of the construction are only temporary.
01:53Its CEO said in an email,
01:54We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously.
01:58Denmark has very high standards in environmental protection and a proven track record for building
02:03megaprojects in an environmentally friendly way.
02:06The company also says the more direct route will make rail a more attractive alternative.
02:10However, critics note that the tunnel will feature four lanes for cars and trucks.
02:14They say the project, which Germany and Denmark agreed on back in 2008, should be reconsidered
02:19with sustainability in mind.
02:21It's not fulfilling the idea of the European Union anymore to really get especially cargo
02:27traffic from road to rail.
02:29Well, this might be a project which has been planned like 20 years ago, but it was before
02:35the Paris Agreement.
02:36It was before the time when we thought about climate change that much as we do today.
02:42And I think we have to assess projects which have not been built yet, but which have been
02:48in the pipeline for 15 or 20 years.