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The fixed link across the Great Belt
The Great Belt Link was opened in June 1997 (the railway link) and in June 1998 (the road link).
The fixed link across the Great Belt was established pursuant to Act No. 380 of 10 June 1987. The construction act laid down that a fixed link was to be constructed across the Great Belt in two phases, one for railway transport and one for road transport. The first phase was to be the railway link and the second phase was to be a motorway link.
 A limited liability company, the Great Belt Link A/S, was established to manage the project and to act as client builder of the construction of the fixed link. The equity capital of the company is fully owned by the Danish government. In accordance with Act No. 590 of 21 August 1991, the shares were placed in a holding company, Sound and Belt Holding A/S, which is owned by the government.
The Great Belt Link A/S was to finance all costs incurred in the construction of the fixed link through loans in the Danish and international capital markets, with guarantees from the Danish government.
The construction of the fixed link across the Great Belt became the biggest building project ever in the history of Denmark. On an 18 kilometre stretch between Halsskov on Zealand and Knudshoved on Funen there was built a two-track railway and a four-lane motorway, aligned via the small islet Sprogoe in the middle of the Great Belt. In general terms, the project comprised three different construction tasks: The Eastern Bridge for road transport, the Eastern Tunnel for rail transport and the Western Bridge for road and rail transport combined. The Eastern Bridge, with its free span of 1,624 metres, is the world’s second largest suspension bridge. The vertical clearance for ships is 65 metres. The Western Bridge between Sprogoe and Funen is 6,611 metres long, and has a vertical clearance for ships of 18 metres.
The twin bored tunnel tubes of the Eastern Tunnel are 8 kilometres long each. Between the two main tunnels there have been established 31 connecting tunnels at 250 metre intervals. The equipment that is necessary for train operation in the tunnels has been installed in the connecting tunnels. The connecting tunnels also serve as emergency escape routes.
Finances
 The tolls paid by the road users on the motorway link is approximately 20 per cent lower than the ferry ticket fares on the old Halsskov – Knudshoved ferry service. The toll as per 1 January 2001 was DKK 230, including VAT, for a passenger vehicle. The BroBizz tariff for a passenger vehicle is DKK 218 including VAT. The construction of the fixed link across the Great Belt was delayed, and exceeded the budget made at the passing of the building act in 1986. The delays and budget overruns were especially caused by the railway link (flooding of the tunnel, fire, etc.).The realised building investment amounted to DKK 34.7 billion at the end of 2000, and the accumulated debts amounted to DKK 43.0 billion at the end of 2000.
The financing of the link was obtained through loans in the domestic and international capital markets. The link is a user financed transport facility. This means that the building loans are repaid by means of an annual payment from the Danish National Railway Agency and bridge toll revenues from the motorist users of the motorway link.
The financing costs during the repayment period are based on the premise of 4 per cent real interest per annum. The repayment period for the company’s debts, calculated from the opening of the link in 1998, is expected to be approximately 30 years.
Traffic volume
Prior to the opening of the link, an average of 8,000 cars used the ferries across the Great Belt every day. In 2000, an average of 20,600 cars travelled the link each day. The increase of the traffic volume is partly caused by the general growth of traffic, partly diversion of traffic volume from other ferry services, and finally the so-called traffic leap, that is, new traffic generated by the improved ease, facility and low price of crossing the Great Belt.
Amendment of the Construction Act
In December 1996, the Danish parliament, Folketinget, passed an amendment of the construction act on the Great Belt Link. This meant among other things that the price level of the user tolls was determined, including the payment from the Danish National Railway Agency. The payment from the Danish National Railway Agency for the use of the railway link amounted to DKK 565 million in 2000. The payment is adjusted every year, and will increase to DKK 577 million in 2001.
The environment
 Environmental considerations have been an integral part of the construction project of the fixed link across the Great Belt, and have been of decisive significance for the choice of alignment and determination of the design of the construction. Environmental considerations were the reason why the Great Belt A/S established an environmental monitoring programme in 1988, and initiated co-operation with authorities and external consultants on the definition of environmental concerns during the construction work and the professional requirements to the monitoring programme. This co-operation issued in a report published at the beginning of 1997 on the state of the environment in the Great Belt. The conclusion of the report was that the marine environment was at least as good as before the construction work began.
As concerns the water flows, the Great Belt Link must comply with the so-called zero-solution. This has been achieved by deepening parts of the Great Belt, so that the water flow cross section has been increased. This excavation compensates for the blocking effect caused by the bridge pylons and approach ramps. The conclusion of the report concerning the water flows is that the flow is now almost at the level it was at before the bridge was built.
The fixed link across the Great Belt has generated increased road traffic volume, which in itself has meant increased air pollution. However, there has been not insignificant savings in the energy consumption of the east-west traffic by switching from ferries to the fixed link. Train and car ferries consume much energy for propulsion. High-speed ferries consume large amounts of energy at high speeds. Also air transport is highly energy consuming.
The larger energy consumption by ferry transport as opposed to transport via the fixed link is most clearly seen when comparing short driving distances from areas immediately east or west of the link. For more extended driving distances the difference in energy consumption is smaller, but any transport within Denmark’s borders that goes east-west across the link shows very clear energy savings.
Road user advantages
The fixed link has produced considerable time savings for travel and transport between eastern and western Denmark. Previously, the average time consumption involved in car transfer by ferry across the Great Belt was approximately 90 minutes, including the waiting time at the harbours. The time consumption was considerably higher during peak volume periods, that is, weekends and holidays. After the opening of the Great Belt Link, the time consumption has fallen to approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
For those who travel by train, the timesavings are even greater. The travel time has been reduced by 60 minutes, and there are many more seats available than previously, because more railway cars may be added to a train when this train does not have to fit into a ferry. The total seating capacity offered by DSB across the Great Belt on an ordinary Wednesday has risen from 11,060 seats to 37,490 seats. On Fridays the seating capacity exceeds 40,000 seats.
On the following stretches the fastest travel times are as follows: Copenhagen-Odense 1 hour 15 minutes, Copenhagen-Aarhus 2 hours 30 minutes, Copenhagen-Aalborg 3 hours 55 minutes and Copenhagen-Esbjerg 2 hours 35 minutes.
Safety for transport through the Great Belt Tunnel
The Great Belt Tunnel was designed with great emphasis on avoiding accidents. In this connection the fire risk played a great role, as well as the demand for swiftly and safely bringing passengers into safety, and ensure fast deployment of fire and rescue authorities, which have all caused a number of various safety and security facilities to be implemented. The 1995 Ministry of Transport safety report contains a total of 47 individual safety measures.
Among these may be mentioned:
- Only one freight train carrying hazardous goods may travel in the tunnel at a time. In case the freight train carries Class One hazardous goods, no train may travel through the other tunnel tube.
- The Great Belt Tunnel has been equipped with state-of-the-art signalling systems, including the automatic line block system and the ATC system, which partly triggers the brakes of the train if the maximum permitted speed is exceeded, partly brings it to a halt if the train driver does not respect a stop signal.
In addition to this, the tunnel has been built so as to facilitate a possible evacuation and deployment of rescue crews.
 Since January 1997 there have been carried out a number of preparedness exercises in the Great Belt Tunnel. On the basis of experience from the first exercise, the Ministry of Transport decided to initiate a number of new measures to improve preparedness and safety in the Great Belt Tunnel.
The restrictions on freight transport through the Great Belt Tunnel, including especially hazardous goods, are based on the Ministry of Transport safety report from 1995. One of the conclusions of the report was that a complete ban on the transport of hazardous goods through the tunnel would increase the total risks for society as concerns transport of hazardous goods.
Impact on employment
The construction of the Great Belt Link from 1987 to 1998 generated total employment corresponding to 66,000 man years at home and in foreign countries, that is, an average of 5,500 man years per annum. Of these, 24,000 man years were spent direct on the building sites. 90 per cent of those in such direct employment were from Denmark.
The remaining 42,000 man years were placed with subcontractors and other enterprises which saw demand increase as a consequence of the Great Belt Link construction project. 65 per cent of those in such indirect employment were from Denmark.
Of the total 66,000 man years, the 50,000 were supplied by Danish labour, corresponding to a 75 per cent proportion of the total employment, that is, both direct and indirect employment, was from Denmark.
The Third Division of the Ministry of Transport is responsible for the Department’s liaisons with the Great Belt A/S.
More information may be found at: www.storebaelt.dk
Sound and Belt Holding A/S
Vester Søgade 10
1601 Copenhagen V
Phone: +45 33 93 52 00
Fax: +45 33 93 10 25
Homepage: www.storebaelt.dk
E-mail: info@sbf.dk
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