Creating Connections: the fixed Fehmarnbelt link! Traffic forecasts 8 750 to 9 125 vehicles (of which 1 100 to 1 200 HGV’s) and 4 000 train passengers per day (equates to 40 trains)

As a result of Russia’s and the Baltic states’ integra-tion within the international division of labour, as well as of the European Union’s expansion to the north and east, the Baltic Sea region has become Europe’s boom region. Northern Germany holds a key position in this system of coordinates; in the north are the highly de-veloped economies of Scandinavia and in the south, the densely-populated metropolises of Western Europe. The dynamically growing transformation countries can be found in the east.

Economic relations between Germany and the Scan-dinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland) are traditionally strongly pronounced. At approximate-ly 106 million euro, German foreign trade with Scan-dinavia constituted some 6 percent of Germany’s en-tire foreign trade in 2007. This made Scandinavia the sixth most important trading partner for Germany; de-spite its relatively low population (24.5 million people) it is ahead of highly populous economies such as China, Japan or Russia. Conversely, Germany is even the most important trading partner in the world for Scandinavia (source: German Federal Office of Statistics).

Northern German companies are a driving force of this growth: just under 1,400 companies based in Ham-burg maintain active business contacts with Denmark,

1,000 with Sweden and some 800 companies each with Norway and Finland. In terms of significance for Hamburg’s economy, therefore, Denmark ranks at fourth, Sweden at elev-enth, Norway at fifteenth and Finland at sixteenth place (source: Hamburg Chamber of Commerce). The ties between the economy in Schleswig-Holstein and the Scandi-navian countries are even stronger. Here, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Fin-land rank at 3rd, 10th, 12th and 13th place.

The economic growth in the Baltic Sea region is hav-ing a corresponding effect on transportation trends. Sea transportation alone will rise by 65 % by 2020 (source: ISL Baltic Consult). This dynamic development offers enormous opportunities for growth and employment. In order to make the most of these opportunities, an

adequate transportation infrastructure is obligatory. The fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt provides huge opportunities for both regions to shift economic bal-ances in Europe a little further northwards; Northern Germany and Scandinavia will profit from and promote this growth.

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In cooperation with the Fehmarnbelt Business Council

The Fehmarnbelt link …

... overcomes boundaries: For the route from Hamburg to Copenhagen, the journey time to Scandinavia is shortened by more than one hour; metropolitan areas Hamburg/Lübeck and Copenhagen/Malmö close ranks.

... promotes business: Access to and attractions of the Fehmarnbelt region are sustainably improved, companies’ competitiveness is enhanced. Bridging Northern Europe creates a dynamic axis of growth.

... creates ties: The two countries’ employment markets coalesce, the transfer of innovations and know-how is made easy.

... opens horizons: The German-Danish Fehmarnbelt region will be at the heart of Europe; a distinct regional identity comes into being.

... conserves the climate: The new link sustainably reduces carbon dioxide emissions on Scandinavia’s roads.

Creating Connections:the fixed Fehmarnbelt link!the fixed Fehmarnbelt link!

(Vmax = 230 Km/h): 4 hours and 40 minutes are currently needed. This will bring Copenhagen as close to Hamburg, for example, as Berlin. Travel times to Malmö and Stock-holm decreases significantly as well. With a consistent de-velopment of infrastructure, travel duration by train from Hamburg to Stockholm could be reduced from approxi-mately 9:30 hours to 4:25 hours (source: www.europa-korridoren.se).

Timetable to completion of the Fehrmanbelt Bridge

Germany’s and Denmark’s transport ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the construc-tion of a fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt on 29th June 2007. A contract with binding effect under international law will be drawn up on the basis of this memorandum. The parliaments of both countries will then need to ratify the contract. Following on from this, the official planning procedure will be introduced before the construction work can begin. According to the schedule, construction of the bridge is expected to commence in 2011. It could then be cleared for traffic in 2018 (cf graphic 1).

Financing

The costs for constructing the bridge run to some 4.3 billion euro (source: BMVBS, TRM), and are to be financed via a government guarantee model. Costs for develop-

I. The project: fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt

Project description

The Fehmarnbelt is the break in the direct land link be-tween the greater Copenhagen area/Southern Sweden in the north and the Hamburg/Lübeck region in the south. The shortest route from Copenhagen to continental Eu-rope leads across this strait, which extends for just under 20 kilometres.

There has therefore long been a desire for a fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt, at least since the island of Feh-marn was connected with the German mainland by the Fehmarnsund bridge in 1963. Regular ferry operation across the Fehmarnbelt was also commenced in that year. Some 25 million euro have been invested so far in order to investigate the financial and economic sustainability – and the environmental compatibility – of a fixed link from Rødby (Lolland) to Puttgarden (Fehmarn) (source: Fehmarnbelt Forum). Several construction variants for the link were analysed in relation to investment costs, operating and maintenance costs, environmental effects, traffic capacity and safety. A cable-stayed bridge with a four-lane motorway and a two-line railway was select-ed as the optimum variant.

Construction of the Fehmarnbelt link will be North-ern Europe’s biggest infrastructure project. An estimated 95 million working hours and 265 000 lorry-loads of sand, gravel and soil will be required for the construction (source: Focus.de). With a length of 19 kilometres and a construc-tion period of some 7 years, Europe’s longest bridge – and the ninth-longest in the world – will be created. The con-struction costs for the bridge total some 5.6 million euro including development of the infrastructure connections on the German and Danish side. This investment will shorten journey times to Scandinavia considerably. The fixed link would reduce the travel time from Hamburg to Copenha-gen from more than 4 to 3 hours.1 An electric train could cover the Hamburg-Copenhagen route in less than 2 hours

1 320 kilometres = 3 hours plus 1 hour 5 minutes ferry including waiting time, roll-on and roll-off. Although travelling time across the bridge is approximately 10 minutes, the extension of motorway A1 be-tween Neustadt and Puttgarden would save ten minutes’ journey time. Hold-ups at toll stations can be avoided by the use of a built-in device in the vehicle, as in the case of the Storebælt crossing.

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ing the infrastructure connections in both countries will be added to this, and are to be financed via the respec-tive national budgets. Germany’s portion of this will be about 800 million, Denmark’s approximately 500 million euro. In total, there thus results a sum for the project of 5.6 billion euro.

Following intensive fiscal investigations, a govern-ment guarantee model for financing the actual building

Box 1: Facts about the Fehmarnbelt Bridge

Bridge length 19 kilometresBridge height Pylon: 281 metres (plus 28 metres in the water and 12 metres in the sea bed) Road: 80 metresConstruction period 7 years (scheduled: 2011 to 2018)Capacity 4 lanes, 2 railtracksPayback period 25 till 30 yearsEndurance 100 years

Time saved

Kilometres Current journey time

Journey time with bridge

Saving

Hamburg – Copenhagen (car) 320 4:05 h 3:00 h 65 minutes

Hamburg – Copenhagen (conventional rail link at Vmax160 km/h)

330 4:45 h 3:00 h 105 minutes

Hamburg-Copenhagen (high-speed train, continuous rail expansion required for Vmax 230 km/h)

330 4:45 h approx. 2:00 hup to 165

minutes

(Source: own calculations)

Investments 5.6 billion euro including development for infrastructure connections. The costs for the infrastructure connections on the German site amount to 800 million euro

(without high-speed train connection). (Source: BMVBS, TRM).Employment Approximately 95 million working hours, 44 000 to 66 000 man years employment during the

operational construction phase. 1 280 jobs will be created permanently due to operation and upkeep. (Source: Copenhagen Economics/Prognos AG 1999).

Traffic forecasts 8 750 to 9 125 vehicles (of which 1 100 to 1 200 HGV’s) and 4 000 train passengers per day (equates to 40 trains)

(Source: BMVBS).

7,1 m

28,7 m

24,7 m

7,1 m

Hard shoulder

LaneLane

LaneLane

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m

Illustration 1: Cross-section of the bridge (Source: Femern Bælt A/S)

Map 1: Fehmarnbelt-Link

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Graphic 1: Completion timetable for the Fehmarnbelt Bridge (Sourcle: Sund og Bælt A/S)

loans. The Danish state assumes the full risk for the con-struction of the bridge and is the sole issuer of the state backing – with the consequence that the whole bridge, until it reaches land on the German side, is Danish prop-erty. As a countermove, Germany has merely undertak-en to develop the infrastructure connections on the Ger-man side2.

Since the Fehmarnbelt link is part of the Trans-Euro-pean Networks, the European Commisson is providing fi-nancial support for the overall transportation project. At the end of November 2007 the EU Commission announced its decision to assume 27.6 percent of the investment and planning costs of the Fehmarnbelt link. This means 374.3 million euro up to 2013. In the ensuing years the EU Commission will probably provide a comparable sum again. In principle, a grant for infrastructure connections is also possible (cf. table 1).

Cost-effectiveness of the Fehmarnbelt link is calcu-lated by a financial analysis from 2003. With an esti-mated daily traffic frequency of 8 750 – 9 125 motor-cars (among these 1 100 – 1 200 lorries) and 40 trains, cautiously assumed financial parameters enable an am-ortisation of the bridge in 33 – 37 years (source: BMVBS,

2 Denmark bears the risk of the state backing alone. Therefore, De-mark is entitled to all toll income from the bridge operation. The Dan-ish state reserves the right to finance the infrastructure connections on the Danish side via this income.

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works has been developed. This model plans for a state-inspected investment company on the financial markets to take on a loan and use it to construct the bridge un-der its own responsibility. The investment company will receive the right to charge bridge users a toll in order to pay off the loans and generate a profit. In the event that

the traffic movements on the bridge are not sufficient for paying back the costs of the loan, the state issues a guar-antee that it will answer for the financial deficit. The risk of the investment is hereby minimised. Lending institu-tions have no fear of missed instalment payments and will grant the investment company low interest rates on its

Project module Costs FinancingBridge construction works 4,3 billion euro Private investment with German state backing, EU con-

tribution of 374.3 million euro (27.6 percent), amorti-sation after 25 to 37 years without claims on taxes

Infrastructure connections Denmark

approx. 500 millionen euro National budget Denmark

Infrastructure connections Germany

approx. 800 millionen euro National budget Germany

Table 1: Financing of the overall Fehmarnbelt link project (Source: BMVBS, TRM)

Frank Horch,Chairman of the Hamburg Chamberof Commerce

„With the Fehmarn-belt link the dynamically growing economic re-gions of Copenhagen/Malmö on the one hand, and Hamburg/Lübeck on the other, will be drawn more closely together.

This will be a considera-ble contribution to cor-recting the north-south divide in Germany.

At the same time, an intelligent form of fi-nancing has been chosen for construction of the Fehmarnbelt Bridge. The state backing means that the financing costs will be lowered for the private investor, but no taxpay-ers’ money will be spent on the bridge. The many and varied positive socio-economic effects of a fixed link across the Feh-marnbelt will thus be generated without squeezing out other in-frastructure projects.“

Box �: Studies by order of the Danish and German transport ministries concerning the Fehmarn link

1. Feasibility studiesThe appraisers’ consortium from the companies COWI and Lahmeyer analysed the various aspects of realising a fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt. COWI-Lahmeyer: Fehmarnbelt Feasibility Study: Link from Coast to Coast, January 1999.

�. Financial analysesThe financial analyses investigate various link variants in respect of their profitability and amortisation period. The best figures on this subject are exhibited by the ca-ble-stayed bridge with four motorway lines and two rail-way lines.a) Sund og Bælt A/S: Fehmarnbelt fixed link –

Financial Analysis, February 2003.b) Sund og Bælt A/S: Financial Analysis, traffic forecast

and railway payments, March 2003.

�. Traffic analysesThese analyses forecast the traffic figures for the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt:a) Fehmarnbelt Traffic Consortium: Fehmarnbelt Forecast

2002 – Final Report, April 2003.b) Fehmarnbelt Traffic Consortium: Supplement to the

Fehmarnbelt Forecast 2002, November 2003.c) Risö National Laboratory, German Meteorological Serv-

ice: Fehmarnbelt fixed link – Traffic restrictions due to wind on the Fehmasrnbelt Bridge, June 2005.

4. Economic effectsThe transport ministries of the two countries had the eco-nomic effects of a fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt in-tensively investigated. In the process, the effects on the regional economy in particular were investigated:a) Copenhagen Economics: Economy wide benefits: Strat-

egy and Dynamic Effects of a Fehmarnbelt fixed link, June 2004.

b) Copenhagen Economics, Prognos AG: Regional Effects of a fixed Fehmarnbelt link, February 2006.

c) COWI A/S: Economic Assessment of a fixed link over Fehmarnbelt, March 2004.

d) Kocks Consult GmbH, Institute for marine economy and logistics, Carl Bro A/S: Investigation of the socio-eco-nomic and regional effects of a fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt, August 1999

5. Environmental compatibility appraisalsThe intention with these appraisals was to quantify the potential environmental effects of a fixed Fehmarnbelt link.a) National Environmental Research Institute: Construc-

tion of a fixed link across Fehmarnbelt – Preliminary risk assessment on birds, June 2005.

b) COWI A/S: Fixed link across Fehmarnbelt – Effects on Emissions to Air, March 2005..

Sources: German Federal Ministry for Transport, Construction and Urban Development (BMVBS), Trafikministeriet Danmark (TRM)

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge ...... overcomes boundaries:

For the route from Hamburg to Copenhagen, the journey time to Scandinavia is shortened by more than one hour; metropolitan areas Hamburg/Lübeck and Copenhagen/Malmö close ranks.

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Fehmarnbelt link

wards Scandinavia’s transportation infrastructure connec-tions with Continental Europe. The Fehmarnbelt link is the only missing component that will complete this connec-tion. The two bridges can be used as good examples for the effects on transportation, regional economy and ecology that can be expected from the fixed link across the Feh-marnbelt. Both links were likewise financed with the gov-ernment guarantee model, and likewise constructed as a four-lane motorway and two-line railway. Additionally, both regions are highly similar to the Fehmarnbelt region in socio-economic terms.

The bridge across the Great Belt links Korsør on the island of Seeland with Nyborg on Fünen. It is 18 kilome-tres long and sub-divided into three sections; one section of the link was built as a tunnel solution. It offers a time saving compared with ferry traffic of 90 minutes. It was opened for rail traffic in June 1997 and for road traffic in June 1998. Construction costs were 21.4 billion Dan-ish kroner (in 1998 prices, equates to approximately 4.2 billion euro), the toll charge is currently 29 euro for one

TRM). Calculations performed for other bridge projects show a similar outcome. An updated financial analysis from 2004 predicts a payback period of just 25-35 years. With the bridge´s advised lifetime of 100 years, a profit period of more than 70 years is possible (Source: Scan-dinavian-link.org).

The special features of the government guarantee model: Financial costs for the investor are reduced by approximately 1 billion Euro (source: www.scandinavian-link.org), but no public money from Danish or German tax-payers will be required. Other infrastructure projects will not be squeezed out. Financial structures of the bridge over Great Belt and Öresund vouch for the suitability of this financial instrument.3

II. International reference projectsBridges overcome (natural) boundaries and connect re-

gions. Bridge links promote economic, interpersonal and cultural exchange, because travel times and costs are con-siderably reduced. This paves the way for economic devel-opment and employment growth. A travel time reduced by 10 percent within a region has been proven to enhance the region’s productivity by more than 1.2 percent (source: Rice, Venables, Patacchini: Spatial determinants of pro-ductivity).

Many examples of growth regions whose successful de-velopment was triggered primarily by infrastructural links can be found around the world.

San Francisco BaySan Francisco Bay is a good example of how bridge links

enable the business world to specialise in terms of inter-regional division of labour. San Francisco Bay was con-nected via four fixed links in the course of the 20th centu-ry (the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed in 1930, the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge was completed in 1936). Since then, the individual cities of this dynamically grow-ing region have been dividing tasks among themselves: San Francisco, for example, specialises in entertainment, cul-

3 According to these examples, the European Investment Bank has set up an instrument in order to secure funding for the Trans European Networks.

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ture, finances and consulting, Palo Alto in IT (Silicon Val-ley), Oakland is home to ports and logistics companies and Berkeley is the region’s scientific location.

ShanghaiShanghai is the Chinese centre for foreign trade, hosts

the third-biggest container port and, judged by total han-dling, even the world’s biggest universal port. The city’s successful economic development is essentially attributa-ble to the consistent development of its transportation in-frastructure. With a length of just under 33 km the Dong-hai Bridge, opened to traffic in 2005 and connecting the new Yangshan deep-water container port with Shang-hai, it is the longest ocean bridge in the world. It will be exceeded only by the Hangzhou Bridge, which is due to open in summer 2008. The Hangzhou Bridge will link the cities of Ningbo and Jiaxing, separated by the Hangzhou bay, and has a total length of approximately 36 km. The integration power of these two bridges will strengthen Southern Asia’s economic powerhouse even more.

Fixed link across the Great BeltWith the bridges across the Great Belt (completed in

1997) and across the Öresund (completed in 2000), Den-mark and Sweden took the first two necessary steps to-

San Francisco Bay

San Mateo-Hayward-Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

Map �: San Francisco Bay

Donghai Bridge

Hangzhou Bridge

Map �: Hangzhou-Brücke/Donghai-Bridge

Graphic �: Attitude to bridge improving (Source: Sund og Bælt A/S).

Graphic 4: Traffic development across the Great Belt (Source: Sund og Bælt A/S)

Graphic �: Forecast and actual traffic on the Great Belt Bridges (Source: Sund og Bælt A/S).

Ole von Beust, First Mayor, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

“It’s only paradoxi-cal at first glance – glo-balisation encourages regionalisation: inter-national competition

means that the Free and Hanseatic City of Ham-burg is strengthening its ties throughout the Baltic Sea region that date back centuries to the glorious era of the Hanseatic League. The greater Northern Ger-many/Denmark/Sweden region all the way up to Oslo will have to further its integration to find common solutions for globalistion´s challeng-es and to take advantage of them. This is why we pursue the development of major infrastructure projects in our great-er region, like the Feh-marnbelt link, with par-ticular interest.”

private vehicle; special reductions are offered for regular users. The original plans provide for repayment of loans after 35 years. Due to traffic development which far ex-ceeds forecasts (cf. graphics 2 and 4), the project will now pay for itself after 27 years, therefore in 2025 (source: www.storebaelt.dk).

The bridge has provided strong impulses for the em-ployment market in Denmark. A total labour volume of 66 000 man years was required for the construction phase between 1987 and 1998. On average, therefore, a work-force of 6 600 per year was employed during the 10 years of the construction phase. The proportion of Danish em-ployees totalled 75 percent. In total, 2 500 jobs were lost as a result of the ceased ferry operation between Ny-

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Illustration �: Three bridges connecting Scandinavia/Continental Europe (Source: Sund og Bælt A/S)

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borg and Korsör. The major part of the dismissed employ-ees, however, found employment with other ferry opera-tors. Additionally, the Danish state compensated the most badly hit municipality of Korsør with the location of a navy support centre (1 500 jobs) and a guarantee to take on part of the workforce at the Danish national railway (850 jobs). The organisational running of the bridge also brought 125 direct jobs (source: Fehmarnbelt Forum).

All business sectors were able to profit from the new link, particularly the hotel and metal industries and trans-port sectors. The Great Belt region was at the centre of great public and media interest during the construction pe-riod, and the result is rising hotel accommodation figures in the tourist and business sector as well as lively invest-

Dr. Georg Jarzembowski, MEP

„As early as spring 2004 the European Par-liament and the council decided that a fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt was one of the 30 prior-ity projects for expand-

ing the Trans-Europe-an Network. The creation of a fixed road and rail link across the Fehmarn-belt between Germany and Denmark is a key ele-ment in the completion of the principal north-south connection between Cen-tral Europe and the Scan-dinavian countries. This project is intended at the same time to trigger new impulses in the Baltic Sea region, particularly in Ger-many and Denmark. It is now high time that Ger-many and Denmark agree on the actual planning and financing of the Feh-marnbelt link.“

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: ESA

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge ...... opens horizons:

The German-Danish Fehmarnbelt region will be at the heart of Europe; a distinct regional identity comes into being.

Martin Stolz, CEO Kaufhaus Martin Stolz GmbH

„Our department store’s origins go back to the middle of the 19th centu-ry. Our continuously ex-panding business activ-ities mean that now, in addition to our original store in Burg on the Feh-marn island, there are 13 department store branch-es in Northern Germany. Kaufhaus Martin Stolz GmbH will be an ardent supporter of a fixed link,

should it become a reali-ty. For our stores on Feh-marn and throughout Schleswig-Holstein this means a growth in cus-tomer potential, because many more Danes will come to Northern Ger-many. The benefits of a fixed link can, however, only be accompanied by a simultaneous boost to Fehmarn’s attraction for tourism.

There were similar de-bates concerning the con-struction of the Fehmarn-sund Bridge way back in 1963.

All opponents at that time have now done good business out of it. No-one today can imagine Feh-marn without the Feh-marnsund Bridge. It will be a similar case for a fixed link across the Belt.“

Fehmarnbelt link

Copenhagen and Malmö are now within commuting distance, the journey time is just 35 minutes. Many Co-penhageners have made use of this for a move to South-ern Sweden, where rents and real estate prices are around one-third cheaper than in the Danish capital. Many unem-ployed from Southern Sweden have been able to find new jobs in prosperous Copenhagen. This integration process is reflected in the fact that, with a general rise in private-ve-hicle journeys across the bridge from one million in 2001 to 7 million in 2007, the proportion of commuter journeys across the bridge has risen at an extraordinary rate from 5 to 35 percent (cf. graphic 7).

The Öresund region has become the biggest regional agglomeration in Scandinavia now that the bridge is con-structed, and has risen greatly in the hierarchy of Europe-an metropolitan regions.4 Many co-operations were im-possible until the bridge came: the ports of Copenhagen and Malmö now operate as a common unit, the biotech-nology industry has established a joint organisation for its development cluster (cf. box 4) and the twelve universi-ties in region’s two countries have founded the jointly-run Öresund University.

4 3 598 410 inhabitants live in the Öresund region (2007) on a land surface area of 20 859 square kilometres.

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ment activity (source: Fehmarnbelt Forum). These effects are reflected by changed perceptions among the Danish population (cf. graphic 3).

Öresund BridgeSince its opening in 2000, the Öresund Bridge has been

a success story, too. The 16-kilometre-long link, partially realised as a tunnel solution, links Malmö on the Swedish and Copenhagen on the Danish side and cost a total of 2.7 billion euro (in 2002 prices). It is both a regional connec-tion between two major cities and a strategic link between Denmark and Sweden, both countries are therefore also proprietors of the bridge. During the construction phase between 1995 and 2000 the bridge generated an employ-ment volume of 60 000 man years. The link is part of the European Union’s Trans-European Networks (TEN) and has been a considerable contribution to the Öresund region’s dynamic development.

Traffic frequency has far exceeded investors’ expec-tations, meaning that amortisation is turning out to be more favourable than planned. In 2007, an average of some 185 000 vehicles per day drove across the bridge, some 16 000 commuters use this connection every day. At the same time, passenger figures in the ferry traffic between Helsingør and Helsingborg have remained at about the same level as in 2000. The bridge has therefore led to a general rise in traffic frequency and has not replaced the ferry traffic.

Graphik 5: Traffic development across the Öresund Bridge (Source: http://www.oresundbron.com)

Graphic �: Traffic frequency across the Öresund (Source: Femern Bælt A/S)

Graphic 7: Structure of private vehicle journeys across the Öresund Bridge (Source: Sund og Bælt A/S)

Christian and Marie Louise Rohde

„Copenhagen is the undisputed heart of

Denmark. We have both found interesting jobs here.

Unfortunately, hous-ing is almost unafford-able for young families. The Öresund Bridge en-ables us to live comfort-ably in Southern Sweden and work in Copenhagen. In Sweden, we can afford a house with a garden. Our child, in particular, enjoys this more than city life in Copenhagen. This is why the bridge has improved our qual-ity of life.“

Christoffer Knuth, Director, Knuthenborg Park & Safari,

„The Knuthenborg Park & Safari is the big-gest safari and adven-ture park in Northern Eu-rope. It is located close to Maribo on Lolland, on the first motorway exit of the E 47 coming from Germany across the

Fehmarnbelt. Construc-tion of the Fehmarnbelt Bridge will bring great opportunities for us. We can already sense the in-creasing public interest in the Fehmarnbelt re-gion. Many more tourists will come to our region: the Knuthenborg Park & Safari is already getting itself ready for this with the “Exit 48” project and is planning to expand its tourist offerings. It is noticeable that the Feh-marnbelt Link will bring about many similar sub-sequent investments in our region.“

Illustration �: The bridge across the Great Belt

III. Northern European axis of growth

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge will connect the two power-houses of Hamburg/Lübeck and Copenhagen/Malmö, giv-ing rise to a new growth axis. This offers Northern Ger-many the unique opportunity to even out the north-south divide prevailing in Germany.

Direct economic effectsThe economic effects of a fixed link across the Feh-

marnbelt were examined closely in the run-up to the de-cision in favour of the bridge construction. In the fea-sibility study of 1999, a benefit-cost ratio of 1.94 was calculated according to the assessment method of the German federal traffic route plan (source: BMVBS, TRM, 1999). For every euro invested in the Fehmarnbelt Bridge the economy grows by 1.94 euro – and this is without public funding.

A benefit-cost analysis concerning the Fehrmarnbelt Bridge in the variant of a cable-stayed bridge with four motorway lanes and two railway lines from 2004 pro-vides a positive evaluation of the economic effects of a Fehmarnbelt link. Calculated cautiously, the benefit gen-erated by the Fehmarnbelt link within 50 years runs to 10.9 billion euro, which equates to a net benefit of 1.9 billion. The project thus features an internal interest of 7 percent. The beneficial effects will be generated in equal parts in Germany and Denmark. Some one billion euro fall to the usual EU zone (source: TRM, BMVBS, 3 c). At the same time the evaluation is still comparatively cau-tious, since a potential EU contribution was not includ-ed in the calculation. The strategic and dynamic impact was also not taken into account.

Strategic and dynamic effectsThe bridge is a major location factor and enables the

location of new companies. More trade leads to strong-er competition, lower prices and a more varied offer-ing. This economic dynamic leads to a rise in productiv-ity and lower costs.

The resulting beneficial effects are put in figures of some 0.4 billion euro. An overall net benefit of the Feh-marnbelt link of 2.3 billion euro would therefore be the result.

The economic effects of a fixed Fehmarnbelt link would be felt far beyond the metropolitan regions of Hamburg/Lübeck and Öresund. They would be noticeable up to Öre-bro in Sweden (700 kilometres to the north of the bridge)

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Map 4: Development corridor: sphere of a fixed Fehmarnbelt-link

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge ...... promotes business:

Access to and attractions of the Fehmarnbelt region is sustainably improved, companies’ competitiveness are enhanced. Bridging Northern Europe creates a dynamic axis of growth.

Fehmarnbelt link

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and up to 600 kilometres south of the bridge, in Hessen. On the German side, the regions of Kiel and Lübeck would be the biggest beneficiaries of this. Positive effects would be felt in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, too, but less pro-nounced than in Schleswig-Holstein or in Hamburg. On the Danish side, the Lolland-Falster region would benefit most greatly from the improved infrastructure (source: BMVBS, TRM, 3a).

Effects on the regional economyA specific focus during the analyses was placed on

the effects of the link for the Fehmarnbelt region. The Fehmarnbelt region with the district of Ostholstein on the German, and Storstrøms Amt on the Danish side is

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge will shorten the journey time in German-Danish border traffic by up to 65 minutes. This will extend the possible commuter distance in the long term. (cf. map 5).

Environmental effectsExperiences concerning the environmental effects of

bridge projects are extremely positive overall, with the bridge across the Great Belt and the Öresund Bridge pro-viding models on how to deal with natural surroundings. Adjustment of the traffic flows, in particular, holds clear benefits for the environment (cf. graphic 8).

Example: Great Belt BridgeIn the short term, construction of the bridge required

increased energy consumption. However, it triggers cru-cial displacements in the ‘modal split’, the distribution of traffic flows to the individual modes of transport, which mean a reduction in CO2 emissions. The Great Belt link therefore enables savings in fuel and emissions, with en-ergy savings amounting to an average of around 3 Pico joules per year. This equates to some 2 percent of the total energy consumption in the Danish transport sec-tor and means a carbon dioxide saving of more than 200 000 metric tonnes (source: Fehmarnbelt Forum 2001, cf. graphic 8).

The other environmental indicators, such as water transfer and marine biology, have seen more than posi-tive trends. For example, the cessation of the ferry traf-fic between the ports of Körsor and Nyborg means that conditions on the water are considerably calmer than before the bridge was opened. Neither was marine plant life impaired by construction of the bridge. More than 75 % of the excavated earth was re-used (source: Feh-marnbelt Forum 2001).

separated by the Baltic Sea as a natural border. In their respective countries, the two rural districts are each lo-cated 1.5 hours away from the nearest metropolis (Ham-burg and Copenhagen, respectively). Both rural districts are in a peripheral location, and both regions current-ly exhibit a lower per-capita income than the nation-al average.

Access to the markets will be made easier for compa-nies in this region; the location will become more attrac-tive altogether for new companies. A study commissioned by the BMVBS and the TRM identifies the following areas as being particularly promising (BMVBS, TRM, 3b):1. The construction business will experience a boom, par-

ticularly during the construction phase.2. Tourism is already a significant economic factor in

both regions today. The fixed link will improve the competitive position of the Fehmarnbelt region com-pared with other locations and raise market potential as a result of easier accessibility. Enormous opportu-nities are held by joint tourism marketing.

3. The new infrastructure will lead to a reduction of ex-port costs. Precisely for the many small and medium-sized companies in the two rural districts, which have barely been able to benefit from foreign trade as a re-sult of their peripheral location, improved export op-portunities will be the result.

4. The Öresund region is known as Medicon Valley (cf. box 4), and the healthcare business is also of great significance for the metropolitan region of Hamburg/Lübeck. The infrastructural linking of these two skills centres will mean the opportunity for the Fehmarn-belt region to build up its own profile in this major growth cluster.The Fehmarnbelt region is already in the public eye

today: the construction of the bridge is drawing interna-tional media interest. This interest will reach its climax during the construction phase, when the construction site becomes a “sightseeing site”. The Fehmarnbelt region can make use of this interest for free location marketing.

Employment effectsThe construction of the Fehmarnbelt Bridge will cre-

ate between 44 000 and 66 000 man years of employ-ment. This means that during the construction phase up to 7 500 people will each be provided with up to 8 years of work (cf. box 1). Bridge operation and maintenance will mean 1 280 to 1 740 permanent jobs (source: BMVBS, TRM, 1999). This equates to a rise in employment in the region of six to eight percent.

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge will create a joint German-Danish labour market. Denmark currently has almost full employment, all forecasts indicate that the work-force deficit in Denmark will continue to increase. Com-paratively high unemployment of approximately 9 per-cent continues to prevail in Northern Germany – 20 percent even in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Even today many Germans are making use of the favourable eco-nomic situation in Denmark in order to work for Dan-ish companies. The experiences of the many so-called border commuters are extremely positive, particularly since the earning opportunities in Denmark are good and employers are very open to German-speaking em-ployees as a result of the skilled workforce deficit. Pre-cisely German craftsmen are in demand in Denmark and have expanded their scope of activity to Denmark. (Source: Information on the Danish employment mar-ket and reports from border commuters: Working in Denmark – Border commuters in the Fehmarnbelt re-gion, March 2008).

Peter Deutschland,Chairman, Confederation of German Trade Unions, District North

„I would like to raise three points in connec-tion with the Fehmarn-belt Bridge: first, thou-sands of new jobs will be generated by it, both at the companies direct-ly involved with the con-

struction and at suppli-ers’. The unions will take care to ensure that this happens under fair wage conditions. In this con-text we will be working closely with our Danish partner unions and the business world. Second, I think that the already existing German-Danish labour market will con-tinue to develop and mo-bility between the two countries will become even more intensive. Third and finally, I expect to see the Fehmarnbelt Bridge strengthen the Baltic Sea region over-all and lead to a region-al feeling of belonging together between peo-ple in the Baltic Sea re-gion. These are all rea-sons why I support the Fehmarnbelt Bridge.“

Usedom

Lolland Falster

Møn

Sjælland(Zeeland)

Fyn (Fünen)

Rügen

Bornholm

Fehmarn

••••••••

Map 5: Commuter radius without and with Feh-marnbelt link (Initial points Puttgarden und Rødby-havn) (Source: own calculations)

Lars Karlsson, Managing Director, Copenhagen Malmö Ports AB

„The merger of the ports of Copenhagen and Malmö reflects the co-alescence of the whole region, triggered by the Öresund Bridge. Since its opening in 2000, the Öre-

sund Bridge has also been the driving force in the successful development of Copenhagen Malmö Port AB. The Bridge at-tracts many compa-nies to the region, lots of them realign their lo-gistics chains and choose the Öresund region as a distribution hub for the whole of Scandinavia, the Baltic countries and Russia. They often re-ceive their freight by cargo ships and use the Öresund Bridge for dis-tribution to Sweden and Denmark. In one go, the Öresund Bridge created the strongest region in Scandinavia – a region of 4 million consumers. This is why Copenha-gen Malmö Ports profits tremendously from the bridge.“

Long-term integration process: the coming into being of a shared regional identity

As the natural border becomes obsolete, the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt will also mean that national bor-ders increasingly become blurred. Shopping trips and short trips to the respective other side of the Fehrmarnbelt will be made easier, concert and theatregoing will be sponta-neous decisions. This integration process will be accompa-nied by a new regional consciousness. For example, in the Öresund region since the bridge a common newspaper has been published, and a common tax return for the region’s inhabitants is expected to be made possible. Economic, cul-tural and interpersonal exchange between the regions will see, in the long term, Ostholstein and Storstrøm merging into one Fehmarnbelt region and developing a shared re-gional identity which will further strengthen the Hamburg/Öresund growth axis.

Innovation and knowledge transferThe bridge will initiate know-how transfer and hence

generate a climate that favours innovation. Targeted coop-eration will mean that these effects are maximised. There are numerous successful examples of this in the Öresund region. The Medicon Valley cooperation cluster plays an ex-emplary role for Northern Germany (cf. box 4).

�

Example: Öresund BridgeHere, too, investigations of all relevant environmental

parameters show that the link has not led to any negative effects on the environment. The total costs of the envi-ronmental protection measures during the link’s construc-tion phase amounted to 2 billion Danish kroner (equates to about 270 million euro). Today, the project is regard-ed as a worldwide benchmark for extensive construction projects which can be implemented in complete harmony with the surrounding environment. (Source: www.oeresun-dbron.com).

Meticulous environmental protection measures are also being planned for the Fehmarnbelt Bridge. For example, pro-visions have already been made for compensation measures for the excavated earth and for luminescent markings on the bridge construction site to protect migratory birds.

The fixed Fehmarnbelt link will also lead to enormous environmental relief. Considering the net effect, carbon di-oxide at the indicated traffic ratio is reduced nearly by the yearly emissions of some 20 000 people. Additionally, 40 metric tonnes fewer of microparticles will be released into the air every year. (Source: TRM, BMVBS: 4a).

Graphic �: Trends in the energy consumption of the traffic across the Great Belt. (Source: Fehmarnbelt A/S)

Box �: European Corridor

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge is a central component of the European Corridor, which is the description for the region stretching from Hamburg to Göteborg and Stockholm via Copenhagen and the Öresund region. More than 20 million people live and work in this corridor, some 65 % of the Swedish gross domestic prod-uct is produced here. The Fehmarnbelt link will not only tie this growth corridor with the European mainland. Within the Euro-pean Corridor it will connect various city regions and, as a result of the faster and easier connection, will offer smaller regions completely new opportunities for stepped-up collaboration. The European Corridor initiative is an association of cities, local au-thorities and regional representatives from Sweden, Denmark and Germany in order to tie Scandinavia more closely to Con-tinental Europe using sustainable infrastructure solutions and modern high-speed trains. A current analysis of the Swedish railway authority supports these principles. This is why In the early 2020´s the vision of travelling from Hamburg to Stock-holm by train in 4:20 hours might turn into reality.More information: www.europakorridoren.se

Thomas Hoyer, Managing Director of Hoyer GmbH Interna-tionale Fachspedition

„As a result of short-ened transit times, a fixed link between Ham-

burg and Copenhagen will make goods traffic between the two met-ropolitan regions more economical, and thus more intensive. Addi-tionally, the Fehmarn-belt Bridge, alongside the established fer-ry routes and the exist-ing links via the Jütland route, provides the great opportunity to create the central tie between Northern and Southern Europe. In the context of an overall traffic policy concept this is of max-imum significance, par-ticularly for rail-based goods transport.“

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge ...... creates ties:

The two countries’ employment markets coalesce, the transfer of innovations and know-how is made easy.

Fehmarnbelt link

Actively involve the region in the continued planning and realisation measures: There is an ur-gent requirement for the interests of the region directly concerned to be institutionally anchored. This should take place via the politically legitimised representatives of the Kreis Osholstein on the German side and of the Danish counterpart. Only this way can an immediate and regu-lar exchange of information be created between the rel-evant ministries at the Federal level and the region con-cerned.

Create high-performance traffic links: Against the backdrop of a rising traffic frequency within this axis, expansion of the dry-land road and rail infrastructure in line with requirements is urgently needed; this must take place with an eye to the expanded spatial structures. In the area of road infrastructure, on the German side Fed-eral motorway A1 will have to be expanded to four lanes throughout from Lübeck, from Fehmarnsund Bridge to Puttgarden as Federal road E 47. On the Danish side, the continuous four-lane extension was already complete by autumn 2007. The Lübeck – Puttgarden railway line must be extended in line with performance and electrified (Vmax

= 230 km/h), which also includes the construction of a second set of rails. On the Danish side, the railway line also needs to be electrified and extended to two sets of rails; in this context, special medium-term significance is held by the strengthening, in line with requirements, of the approximately four-kilometre long Storstrøm Bridge

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IV. Fehmarnbelt Bridge: offering comprehensive solutions!

The Fehmarnbelt Bridge will create a growth axis with the two metropolitan regions of Copenhagen/Malmö and Ham-burg/Lübeck and open up the unique opportunity to shift the balance in Europe northwards. At the same time, the inter-ests of the region directly concerned need to be taken into consideration during the continued planning and realisation measures; only this way can a regional identity be formed and broad acceptance among the population be achieved. This is why the publishers call on policy makers at the German, Dan-ish and regional level to keep in mind the following points in order to flank the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt:

between Zeeland and Falster, built in 1937. The Fehmarn-sund Bridge will also become a capacity bottleneck with its present features; redevelopment of the Fehmarnsund Bridge, in line with performance, will additionally be-come necessary.

The amount of the toll charge for using the Fehmarn-belt link will, including value added tax, be in the range of today’s prices for ferry passages. Linked with increased traffic figures this will ensure considerable tax income. As a result of private traffic alone, it is forecast that ad-ditional taxes of some 300 million euro p.a. (20% of a predicted 50 euro toll charge at 9,000 vehicles/day) will be generated. Once the bridge is open, this extra income could be used to refinance hinterland connections in Den-mark and Germany.

Minimise impairments during the construction phase: The population in the region concerned makes a living from tourism to a considerable extent. The island of Fehmarn, in particular, is reliant upon not having the island’s tourism appeal impaired during the construction phase. This calls for a restriction of certain construction tasks (for example, drilling) to off-season periods, intelli-gent construction-site logistics with extensive consider-ation of the maritime route and early completion of the expansion of the E 47 to a four-lane Federal road before the construction works begin, in order to reduce the ef-fects of the construction-site traffic.

Box 4: Medicon Valley

The Life Science industry is traditionally strongly represented scientifically and economically in Denmark and Swe-den. For some, due to the experiments carried out there in the late 18th century, the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen is held to be the birthplace of biotechnology. Today, more than 40 000 people work in the Life Science industry in the Öresund region, more than 10 000 in scientific research.

In respect of the Öresund Bridge, which enables an interlinking of the two medical technology clusters and facili-tates exchange between the two skills centres, the Medicon Valley Academy was set up by the universities of Copen-hagen and Lund in 1997. Since then, this has developed into the Medicon Valley Alliance. More than 270 members – companies, universities and hospitals – have joined, in order to improve the conditions for research and development and technology transfer as well as to promote the location of new companies in the Life Science business. Today, the Medicon Valley region attracts more foreign investments in the Life Science business than any other region in Europe.

(Source: Copenhagen Capacity and Region Skåne)

Reinhard Sager, District Administrator, Kreis Ostholstein

„The fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt will be an additional impulse for the development of the Fehrmarnbelt region into a cross-border economic area. For the Fehmarnbelt region, the expansion of the Hamburg – Copenha-gen/Malmö infrastructure axis provides the oppor-tunity to strengthen its attractiveness as a loca-

tion. The bridge link could also have an enlivening effect on the realisation of a cross-border Dan-ish-German employment market – thus, the joint efforts to break down ex-isting integration barri-ers are already noticea-bly gaining in dynamism. At the same time, howev-er, the region is also con-fronted by drawbacks due to the construction of the Fehmarnbelt Bridge. In this context, today’s task is to set the course to-wards minimising these effects. Furthermore, the Ostholstein district has compiled a catalogue of demands which summa-rises regional concerns in connection with the construction of the fixed Fehmarnbelt link. For us, consideration of these demands is an essential pre-requisite for accept-able project realisation.“

Stig Jørgensen, Managing Director,Medicon Valley Alliance

„The Medicon Val-ley Alliance aims to im-prove conditions for re-search and development

and to create an innova-tive climate for companies and researchers within the Life Science business. The Öresund Bridge connect-ed the two medical clus-ters in Southern Sweden and Eastern Denmark. It increases exchange be-tween the existing com-panies, thus enabling in-novation transfer in the field of medical tech-nology. The Fehmarnbelt Bridge will link the Medi-con Valley to the Life Sci-ence cluster in the metro-politan area of Hamburg. Both clusters will benefit greatly from each other.”

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The Fehmarnbelt Bridge ...... conserves the climate:

The new link sustainably reduces carbon dioxide emissions on Scandinavia’s roads.

Contact:

Hamburg Chamber of CommerceAdolphsplatz 1 | BörseD-20457 HamburgPO Box 11 14 49D-20414 Hamburg

Project Managers: Christine Beine, Dr. Malte HeyneInfrastructure – Traffic Routes Division, Ports, Shipping

Telephone: +49 (0) 40/36 13 8 491Fax: +49 (0) 40/36 13 8 313

[email protected]

Maps, Graphics, Graphic Design: studio holfelder, Hamburg

Fotos:www.oresundsregionen.org, Transglobe Agency, Sund og Bælt A/S, Tonix, Visitcopenhagen.com, WoCo

Lübeck Chamber of Commerce and Industry Fackenburger Allee 2D-23554 Lübeck

Contact: Rüdiger Schacht, Head of Division Location Policy

Telephone: +49 (0) 4 51/60 06-183Fax: +49 (0) 4 51/60 06-41 83

[email protected]

Production: Wertdruck GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

Contact: Michael Thomas Fröhlich, Managing Director Structural Policy Committee

Haus der WirtschaftKapstadtring 10 | D-22297 HamburgTelephone: +49 (0) 40/63 78-51 23Fax: +49 (0) 40/63 78-51 51

Haus der WirtschaftsverbändeJungfernstieg 25 | D-24768 RendsburgTelephone: +49 (0) 43 31/14 20-43Fax: +49 (0) 43 31/14 20-50

[email protected]

Status:June 2008

Preserve the competitiveness of the ports: The competitiveness of the Baltic Sea ports in Schleswig-Hol-stein and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern must continue to be guaranteed by appropriate developement and expan-sion measures. Not least the experiences with the Öre-sund link have proved that the ferry traffic north of the bridge was able to stabilise at the same level even once the bridge was opend.

Suggest differentiated pricing for the toll: The amount of the toll for using the fixed link across the Feh-marnbelt will be of great significance for the success and the intensity of the integration process in the cross-bor-

der Fehmarnbelt region. The costs, which will probably be based on the current ferry fares, must not be an obsta-cle to integration. When pricing the toll, therefore, con-cessionary tariffs should be granted for commuters and residents, as is also the case, for example, with using the Öresund link. Only this way can the integration process be encouraged sustainably.

Take appropriate measures to conserve the en-vironment: In order to minimise the effects of the fixed link on environmental quality in the Fehmarnbelt, recourse can be made to the positive experiences with the construc-tion of the Great Belt Bridge and the Öresund Bridge. The

recommendations of the environmental consultation report “A fixed Fehmarnbelt link and the Environment” (BMVBS/TRM) must be adopted to avoid impairment of the (water) flow conditions in the Fehmarnbelt. Compensatory meas-ures for the excavations in the earth and bird protection actions must be performed.

Fehmarnbelt link

Published by:

Fehmarnbelt Business Council

The Fehmarnbelt link will create a growth axis with the two metropolitan regions Malmö/Copenhagen and Hamburg/Lübeck. In order to have the business world actively flank the continued planning process, the “Fehmarnbelt Business Council” (FBBC) was founded in Lübeck in September 2007. The FBBC intends to as-sume a coordination role and serve as a platform upon which all companies and institutions with an interest in the project coordinate their respective activities and agree on joint projects, so that the fixed link across the Fehmarnbelt will be a success from the very first day of its opening.

Members (status May �00�)

Objectives• Economic promotion along the Fehmarnbelt axis• Formation of a “psychological bridge”• Joint efforts for necessary supplementary infrastructure measures• Initiate workforce and knowledge transfers• Involvement of the regional economy in the planning and construction activities • Intensify cooperation between companies and scientific institutions

The FBBC is supported by Femern Bælt A/S

In cooperation with the Fehmarnbelt Business Council

Usedom

Lolland Falster

Møn

Sjælland(Zeeland)

Fyn (Fünen)

Rügen

Bornholm

Fehmarn

••••••••

Kreis Ostholstein

Kreis Ostholstein

Storstrøms AmtStorstrøms Amt

Fehmarnbelt region

Fehmarnbelt link