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Fehmarn (dpa) - construction of the century, milestone, ecological catastrophe - there have been many names for the planned Fehmarnbelt tunnel.

Construction work on one of Europe's largest infrastructure projects on the German side is due to begin soon, said Denise Juchem from the Femern A / S project company.

On November 3, the Federal Administrative Court dismissed all claims against the controversial connection between Germany and Denmark.

The excavation work for the actual tunnel is scheduled to begin in summer 2021.

Conservationists are struggling with the judgment of the Federal Administrative Court.

They consider the plans to be anachronistic for reasons of climate protection and are considering filing a complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court.

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Preparations are also under way for the hinterland connection of the tunnel, which is the subject of a separate approval procedure.

It is planned to start renewing the signaling technology on the route in 2021/2022, said a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn.

It is still assumed that, together with the Danes, they will be able to start operations on the route.

According to Juchems, a working port is to be built near Puttgarden in northern Fehmarn, via which a large part of the material needed for the construction of the tunnel portal will be delivered.

“At the beginning of next year we will lay supply lines and set up construction roads.

In the second step, the construction of the working port begins, ”she said.

That will help not to burden the local road network more than necessary.

Opponents of the construction project on Fehmarn fear, among other things, that traffic on the Baltic Sea island could collapse because of the many construction vehicles.

They are also concerned that the tourists could stay away in the long term if all of Fehmarn becomes a construction site.

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In Denmark, where building permits for the tunnel have existed since 2015, construction is already underway.

"The construction of the jetties for the work harbor in Rødbyhavn has been going on since mid-June, and the excavation work for the harbor and the access has already started," said Juchem.

Schleswig-Holstein's Economics and Transport Minister Bernd Buchholz (FDP) does not share the fears of the opponents.

“It is and has never been out of the question that we will do our utmost to keep the loads on the island low during the construction phase.”

He was also happy that the discussions after the decision of the Federal Administrative Court are now finally focusing more on the chances of crossing the Belt, said the minister.

It is important to network the economy on both sides of the Belt as early as possible.

The approximately 18-kilometer-long road and rail tunnel is expected to connect the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn and the Danish island of Lolland by 2029.

According to Femern A / S, the immersed tunnel should shorten the travel time between Hamburg and Copenhagen from five hours to less than three hours in the future.

Submerged tunnels consist of prefabricated concrete parts that are lowered into a trench on the sea floor.

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Denmark will build and operate the tunnel at its own cost, estimated at 7.1 billion euros.

Germany has to pay for the costs of the road and rail connections on the Schleswig-Holstein side in the amount of 3.5 billion euros.

This includes a risk buffer of 1.1 billion euros.

The hinterland connection also includes a new tunnel between Fehmarn and the East Holstein mainland.

This 1.7 kilometer long immersed tunnel with four lanes for the road and two tracks for the railroad is intended to relieve the Fehmarnsund Bridge, which opened in 1963.

"The preliminary planning documentation, which fills 69 files, is complete," said the railway spokesman.

"Now the design and approval planning starts."

Lawsuits are also to be expected against the hinterland connection.

Several communities on the railway line are calling for better protection against noise and vibrations.

Nevertheless, the railway spokesman is confident and says: "We are still planning to go into operation together with our Danish friends."

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210106-99-913431 / 2

Project overview of the German Railway

Fehmarn A / S on the planning status