The opening of the Fehmarn Belt railway connection is now expected to be delayed by several years, potentially pushing the launch to the end of 2032 at the earliest. This projection stems from a document issued by the German railway authority, Eisenbahn-Bundesamt.

The delay is primarily attributed to the construction timeline for a 2.2-kilometer tunnel on the German side, linking the island of Fehmarn to the German mainland. Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway company, estimates that this segment alone will take six and a half years to complete.

Femern A/S, the company responsible for the Danish side of the construction, has declined to comment directly on the German railway authority’s statement. However, their press officer, Jens Villemoes, stated that they anticipate the German government will inform the Danish government should the schedule for the German land facilities undergo changes.

Concerns about potential delays have surfaced previously. Last year, reports indicated that the German side was encountering significant challenges in meeting the original 2029 completion target. Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen reportedly informed Danish Parliament members that the railway connection might be delayed by four to five years.

While Deutsche Bahn initially maintained that the German section would be completed in tandem with the Danish part of the tunnel from Lolland, uncertainty also surrounds the opening date for car traffic across the Fehmarn Belt connection. Sund & Bælt, responsible for the Danish construction efforts, acknowledged in their 2024 annual report that the 2029 opening schedule is “significantly challenged.”

The Fehmarn Belt connection is an 18-kilometer underwater tunnel designed to link Rødbyhavn on the Danish island of Lolland with Fehmarn in Germany.