21st September 2023 –
88 kilometres of new railway line, 100 bridges, six railway stations and a tunnel under the Fehmarn Sound will be built between 2026 and 2028, all to be commissioned in 2029, according to a new time schedule from DB.
The extensive land works on the German side which will connect to the Fehmarn Belt tunnel is a mammoth project worth 3.5 billion euros.
The project operates on a very tight schedule with a construction period of only three years.
"During 2029, we expect technical approval and test runs, and by the end of the year, the entire stretch will be in commission. There is room for a small buffer, even though the schedule is tight," DB’s spokesman, Peter Mantik, told Lübecker Nachrichten.
Co-operation to ease time pressure
According to Deutsche Bahn, the time pressure on the billion-euro project will be eased by the early co-operation between DB and the construction companies on the Bad Schwartau to Lensahn section, as well as the accelerated planning of the Fehmarn Sound tunnel, on which construction will start from 2026.
"We want to achieve a smooth transition from planning to construction. This will win a few months and increase the likelihood of keeping to the works schedule," says DB spokesman Peter Mantik.
Good expectations
But there is still an element of uncertainty, writes Lübecker Nachrichten, as there is a right of appeal after the completion of each section of the railway, and the newspaper asks the question: How well has Deutsche Bahn involved the residents along the 88 kilometres of track?
"We have good expectations in this area," Peter Mantik replies.
Deutsche Bahn will begin preparations for the extensive land works on Fehmarn during the coming month.