World's Longest Underwater Tunnel Unveiled

06 Sep 2023 CW Team

After 10 years of planning, construction began in 2020 on the Danish side and then in 2021 on the German side. For the tunnel, the European Union will contribute €1.1 billion towards the project. It will be put together 40 metres below the Baltic Sea using 89 massive concrete sections. These will be pre-built on land and then lowered into the water using a crane. Femern A/S, the state-owned Danish company in charge of the project, hopes that it will be ready to immerse the first of these sections by 2024. Once they are in place, the concrete sections will be fitted together and other elements like railway tracks, ventilation and cameras will be installed. Some environmental groups questioned the impact of the tunnel on wildlife in the Fehmarnbelt - an EU protected area. But Fermern A/S says the tunnel will “increase capacity and relieve congestion on the rail and road networks in Denmark”. The company also claims it will lead to “significant” savings in time, energy, fuel and CO2 emissions.

The first tunnel element is expected to be immersed in the Fehmarnbelt in 2024 in the special tunnel trench, which is currently being dredged. Over 90 per cent of the dredging operations have now been completed and the Fehmarnbelt link will open in 2029.

In a remarkable engineering feat, the world's longest (18 km) rail and road underwater tunnel, which will connect Denmark (Rødbyhavn) and Puttgarden on the German island of Femern by 2029 has been unveiled. The tunnel, officially called the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link and designed for a minimum lifespan of 120 years, will have two double-lane motorways and two electrified rail tracks. When the €10 billion Fehmarnbelt tunnel, which is being constructed on the basis of a design philosophy called ‘design and build’ is completed, it will cut travel time down to 10 minutes by car and seven minutes by train from Rødbyhavn to Puttgarden, a crossing that now takes 45 minutes by ferry, also avoiding a 160 km detour across the Danish mainland. Rail travel times from Hamburg in Germany to Copenhagen in Demark will be cut from around five hours to less than three. Road users and train passengers will save about one hour each way compared to the ferry crossing. The link will be open 24 hours a day as a tunnel is not affected by wind or weather.After 10 years of planning, construction began in 2020 on the Danish side and then in 2021 on the German side. For the tunnel, the European Union will contribute €1.1 billion towards the project. It will be put together 40 metres below the Baltic Sea using 89 massive concrete sections. These will be pre-built on land and then lowered into the water using a crane. Femern A/S, the state-owned Danish company in charge of the project, hopes that it will be ready to immerse the first of these sections by 2024. Once they are in place, the concrete sections will be fitted together and other elements like railway tracks, ventilation and cameras will be installed. Some environmental groups questioned the impact of the tunnel on wildlife in the Fehmarnbelt - an EU protected area. But Fermern A/S says the tunnel will “increase capacity and relieve congestion on the rail and road networks in Denmark”. The company also claims it will lead to “significant” savings in time, energy, fuel and CO2 emissions.The first tunnel element is expected to be immersed in the Fehmarnbelt in 2024 in the special tunnel trench, which is currently being dredged. Over 90 per cent of the dredging operations have now been completed and the Fehmarnbelt link will open in 2029.

Infrastructure Urban

27 Oct 2025

Coal Ministry Achieves Milestones under Special Campaign 5.0

The Ministry of Coal and its Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have achieved notable milestones under the Special Campaign 5.0, focusing on cleanliness, operational efficiency, and sustainability across the coal sector. During the implementation phase from 2–31 October 2025, over 1,205 sites were cleaned, covering 68,04,087 sq ft, nearing the target of 82,51,511 sq ft. Scrap disposal of 5,813 MT against a target of 8,678 MT generated Rs 228.7 million in revenue. In addition, 1,11,248 physical and 30,331 electronic files were reviewed, with 74,123 weeded out or closed. Key initiatives showc..

Infrastructure Energy

27 Oct 2025

Vesting Orders Issued for Three Coal Blocks under Commercial Auctions

The Ministry of Coal’s Nominated Authority has issued vesting orders for three coal blocks under commercial coal block auctions on 23 October 2025. The Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements (CMDPAs) for these mines were earlier signed on 21 August 2025. The three blocks include Rajgamar Dipside (Deavnara), Tangardihi North, and Mahuagarhi. Of these, two are partially explored while one is fully explored, with a combined peak rated capacity of around 1 MTPA and geological reserves of approximately 1,484.41 million tonnes. These mines are expected to generate annual revenue of abou..

Infrastructure Urban

27 Oct 2025

TEC, IIT-Hyderabad Partner to Boost 6G and Telecom Standards

The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), technical arm of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) for joint research and technical collaboration in advanced telecom technologies and standardisation. The partnership focuses on developing India-specific standards and test frameworks for next-generation networks, including 6G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). It also aims to enhance India’s participation in international standardisation f..