The Fehmarnbelt tunnel will run under the Baltic Sea, connecting the Danish island of Lolland and the German island of Fehmarn. Two electrified tracks and a four-lane highway will run through the tunnel, which is due to open in 2028.

Atkins will deliver multidisciplinary railway consultancy services throughout the project, which will include the track, overhead catenary, power supply, signalling, train control system and telecommunications. Atkins will also collaborate with German engineering firm Gauff, which will focus on the German elements of the new railway.

The 200km/h line will provide a journey time between Germany and Denmark of seven minutes, a major reduction compared with the current hour-long ferry trip. Passenger trains running between Copenhagen and Hamburg no longer use the train ferry as they are routed via Odense and Padborg.

Tendering for four design-build contracts for civil works on the link was launched in October 2013, with Femern signing four major construction contracts worth almost DKr 30bn ($US 4.5bn) with two consortia in May 2016. Femern Link Contractors (FLC) won three of the contracts for the north and south sections and tunnel portals and ramps for the link, while the dredging and land reclamation contract was awarded to Fehmarn Belt Contractors.

Preliminary construction on a DKr 9.3bn project to rebuild the 115km Ringsted - Holeby line, which will become the main rail link between Scandinavia and Germany when the link opens, was launched in September 2014. At the time, the Fehmarnbelt link was due to open in 2021.

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