Fehmarn Belt fixed link under construction, delayed to 2032

The 17.6 km immersed tube tunnel (four tubes, dual-track electrified rail plus a four-lane motorway) will link Fehmarn with Rødbyhavn on Lolland, cutting the crossing to about ten minutes versus a 45-minute ferry. Construction began in early 2021 (Denmark) and late November 2021 (Germany); excavation of the tunnel trench was 95 percent complete by autumn 2023, and rail construction on Fehmarn started in December 2023. Per the German Federal Railway Authority (as of July 2025), completion has slipped from the original 2029 target to end of 2032. Update (12.05.2026): The first tunnel element was immersed on the Danish side — the start of 90 planned immersion operations (79 standard elements of 217 m and about 73,000 t each, 10 special elements plus a closing joint) (New Civil Engineer, 12.05.2026). Update (15 Sep 2026): Tunnel construction is about two years behind schedule and, according to Sund & Bælt, an opening in 2029 is unrealistic; on 18 May 2026 it emerged that the developer is working towards a two-stage opening, with the road section first and the railway later, once the German facilities are in place. A new overall timetable is to follow only after the first elements have been immersed; the delay raises costs but, because the link is toll-financed, affects only the repayment period. After the approval of the immersion vessel IVY in April 2026 and the departure of the first element on 4 May 2026, three of the 89 elements have been immersed, and the fourth is coupled to IVY. On the German side, about 90% of the tunnel approach on Fehmarn is complete and the road connection could be ready in 2028, according to Deges; at their meeting on 29 October 2025 the two transport ministers saw no reason to change the 2008 state treaty (LOK Report, 29 Oct 2025 to 15 Sep 2026).