JUNE 1 saw the formal opening of the fixed rail link across Denmark’s Great Belt. The ceremonies were held at the Halsskov portal on Sjaelland, to which around 400 guests were taken from København by a special train formed of IC3 DMUs. Transport Minister Bjørn Westh (right) made a short speech, after which HRH Queen Margrethe II declared the link open.
The 25 km fixed link comprises a 7·9 km tunnel between Sjaelland and the island of Sprogø in the middle of the Belt, and the 6·6 km West Bridge from Sprogø to Funen. It includes two new stations serving Korsør and Nyborg, which replace the old termini alongside the train ferry docks in each town (RG 2.97 p117).
The royal opening marks the start of passenger services across the link; freight trains began in April. With the start of the summer timetable DSB has completely restructured its inter-city network to take advantage of the 1h reduction in journey times made possible by the elimination of the train ferry. DSB has one year to capture an increased share of cross-Belt traffic before the parallel road link is completed next June. o
