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December 2014

2010-2276

Table of contents

Chapter 1. Description of the Danish-German Transport Commission ............... 2

Update of interim report

Chapter 2. Description of the cross-border infrastructure and transport structure in the Jutland Corridor ............................................................................................ 4

Denmark ............................................................................................................................................................. 5

Germany ........................................................................................................................................................... 12

Chapter 3. Development in traffic in the Jutland corridor from 2000 to today. Figures and facts ........................................................................................................................... 16

Denmark ........................................................................................................................................................... 16

Germany ........................................................................................................................................................... 24

Chapter 4. Current infrastructure programmes in Denmark and Germany -Focusing on the Jutland corridor .......................................................................................... 29

Denmark ........................................................................................................................................................... 29

Germany ........................................................................................................................................................... 31

Chapter 5. Prioritised projects by the Danish-German Transport Commission ................................................................................................................................................................. 35

Chapter 6. Recommendations ................................................................................................. 37

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Chapter 1. Description of the Danish-German Transport Commission

The Danish-German Transport Commission was founded on July 5, 2011. Its objective is to analyse

cross-border traffic with a special focus on the Jutland Corridor and to give recommendations for

improving infrastructure and the transport economy.

Membership: 12 members, Denmark and Germany are equally represented by 6 members each

Representatives from Denmark Germany

TRM (Danish Ministry of Transport) 2

Development Council South-Jutland 2

Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk

Erhverv)

1

Confederation of Danish Industry 1

MWVAT (Schleswig-Holstein MOT) 2

BMVI (Federal German MOT) 1

Hamburg chamber of Commerce 1

Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Schleswig-Holstein

1

WiREG (Business Development

Corporation Schleswig-Flensburg)

1

Additional experts may be invited depending on demand and/or subject.

The German Federal MOT is not a de facto permanent member of the Commission, it only participates

when issues of federal German or European policy are addressed. In case the Federal German MOT is

not taking part, its seat is taken by the Schleswig-Holstein MOT so as to ensure parity between the

Danish and the German members. To date, the Federal German MOT only took part once.

The Transport Commission has a consultative function; it will give recommendations only. The

recommendations are made by consensus and must be unanimous.

The projects described in this report vary by their stage of investigation and are thus not at the same

analytical level. Furthermore some projects focus on the construction side while others focus on the

operation side of transport initiatives. It is clear that for projects focusing on the operation of transport

it will be necessary to take commercial perspectives into account. Finally, it must be emphasised that

the decision making process for concrete projects takes place outside of the work of the commission at

ministerial level on the Danish/German side respectively.

The following procedural decisions were taken at the inaugural meeting on July 5, 2011:

- The chair shall alternate between Denmark and Germany every six months.

- There shall be two meetings within a period of six months.

To date, the Transport Commission has convened 8 times and has mainly addressed the following

subjects:

- Rail projects in Denmark, railway lines in Denmark

- Study on a fixed link between Fyn and Als

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- Presentation of the German-Danish Business Forum

- A joint German-Danish train station

- Eco-Combi vehicles (long commercial vehicles)

- Sønderborg binational airport

- The role of Danish ports in the cross-border region, ports in Schleswig-Holstein

- Expert report on “High Speed Train in the Jutland Corridor”

- Study about Padborg as an intermodal terminal

- Combined transport terminal Neumünster

- European Train Control System (ETCS) on the line between Niebüll and Tønder

- Extension of the motorway A7

- Situation of the high bridge across Kiel Canal at Rade

- Cabotage in long-distance freight traffic

- Air freight

- Discussion of the joint interim report on Jan. 1, 2013

- Proposals for (cross-border) transport projects made by stakeholders.

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Update of the “Interim report” from the commission

Chapter 2. Description of the cross-border infrastructure and transport structure in the Jutland Corridor

The Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Denmark have a common land border that

divides the Cimbrian peninsula, including Jutland and Schleswig - Holstein, in an east west direction.

Both states are connected by a network of roads and railway lines in a north south direction through the

so-called Jutland Corridor.

This chapter describes the existing transport infrastructure, the development of the different transport

carriers since the year 2000 as well as the concrete plans for expansion measures and cross-border

projects in the Jutland Corridor.

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Denmark

2.1 Roads

The trunk road network - or the national road network in Denmark - plays a central role when it comes

to the flow of traffic. The trunk road network is the backbone of the key international transport

corridors throughout Denmark and helps ensure efficient traffic flows between Scandinavia and the rest

of the continent.

The backbone of the road network is made up of the so-called capital "H", i.e. roads between

Frederikshavn and Danish-German border, between Køge and Esbjerg and between Elsinore and

Rødby. See map 2.1.1. The capital “H” provides gateways to Denmark’s neighbours most notably

Germany, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom

Map 2.1.1 The capital “H”

Despite the fact that the trunk road network only makes up approximately 5 per cent of the total public

road network in Denmark, approximately 45 per cent of all vehicle kilometres in Denmark are driven on

the trunk road network.

The southern part of Jutland is part of the region “Southern Denmark”. In this region there are located

two motorways, which are part of the capital “H”, namely the east-west oriented Esbjergmotorvejen

(E20) between Lillebælt and Esbjerg and the north-south Sønderjyske motorway (E45) between

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Kolding to the north and the Danish-German border at Frøslev to the south. South of the border to

Germany E45 continues as A7.

In the western part of Jutland there is one trunk road (Route 11) between Esbjergmotorvejen to the

north and the Danish-German border south of Tønder and a number of trunk roads across the region.

south of the Danish-German border Route 11 continues as B5.

A new motorway – Kliplev-Sønderborg – between Sønderjyske motorway to the West and Sønderborg

to the East opened in 2011. The 25 km 4 lane motorway was carried out as a Public Private Partnership

(PPP). The Kliplev-Sønderborg motorway was the first Danish motorway carried out as a PPP.

Map 2.1.2 shows the trunk roads in the southern part of Jutland; map 2.1.3 shows the number of

vehicles on the trunk roads in the southern part of Jutland and Table 2.1.1 shows different road types on

the trunk road network in the southern part of Jutland.

Map 2.1.2 Trunk roads in the southern part of Jutland

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Map 2.1.3

Annual average daily traffic on the trunk roads in 2013 (all vehicles) in the southern part

of Jutland

As seen on the map the traffic load is highest on the Sønderjyske motorway (E45) between Kolding and

the Danish-German border at Frøslev.

Table 2.1.1 Different road types on the trunk road network in the southern part of

Jutland

Road type Km Road Amount (pct.)

Motorway 216 29

Expressway 114 15

Other trunk roads 414 56

Total 744 100

Regarding trunk roads there are two border crossings between Denmark and Germany, namely the

crossing at Sæd and the crossing at Frøslev. Table 2.1.2 shows the number of vehicles crossing the

border stations.

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Table 2.1.2 Number of vehicles passing the Danish-German border on a trunk road

(2013)

Border station Number of vehicles

Sæd 5.600

Frøslev 16.500

2.2 Railway

There are two railway lines crossing the Danish-German border: Niebüll-Tønder and Padborg-

Fredericia. The railway line between Niebüll and Tønder is single tracked and with a speed limit of 100

km/h. The line between Padborg-Fredericia is double-tracked except from Vamdrup to Vojens and from

Padborg to Tinglev. The speed limit is 180 km/h in some parts of the railway with the lowest speed limit

from Padborg to Tinglev being 120 km/h.

Map 2.2.1 with 2011-data from www.bane.dk

The railway between Padborg-Fredericia is part of the Scandinavian Mediterranean Corridor. The

section is an important part of the Danish railway network, linking the western, northern and southern

parts of Denmark with Germany.

The single track section between Vamdrup and Vojens of 20 km will be upgraded to double track by the

end of 2015. This will eliminate the bottleneck problems currently limiting the capacity of the rail line

north of Tinglev. The upgrade project received EU TEN-T funding in 2012 to support the development

of the EU infrastructure. After the upgrade of the section, Tinglev-Padborg will be the last single track

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section left to be upgraded. In the Agreement on a Modern Railway (Aftale om en moderne jernbane)

from 22. October 2009 it was agreed to construct a double track on the rail line Tinglev-Padborg.1

In 2012 it was decided to electrify the railway between Esbjerg and Lunderskov. This is the first step

towards electrification of the most important Danish rail lines. The electrification will provide a

modern, cheaper, more stable and environment friendly railway.

2.3 Ports and shipping

Denmark is home to approximately 130 sea ports that function as important nodal points in the

transport chain connecting the Danish economy to neighbouring markets.

In the south Jutland region Danish ports facilitate a wide array of services ranging from frequent feeder

services to German ports, short sea shipping of roll-on-roll-off units and transport of oil, gas and dry

bulk. In recent years ports on the West Coast of Denmark have furthermore carried out investment

programmes to facilitate the growth in the wind energy sector and the off-shore wind farms in the

Wadden Sea and North Sea specifically.

1 Ministry of Transport: Aftaler om En grøn transportpolitik, 2009.

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Figure 2.3.1: Freight volumes between South Jutland ports and Germany in 2013 (1000 t)

Source: Statistics Denmark

The most prominent port in the South Jutland region in terms of container freight to/from Germany is

the port of Fredericia. As a feeder port to the Port of Hamburg five weekly connections operate the

route. The prominence of the Port of Fredericia is visualised in fig. 2.3.1 and in 2013 approximately

1400 tonnes of goods were transported between the Port of Fredericia and German ports.

The Port of Esbjerg - the second of the larger ports in the South Jutland region - has a significantly

smaller exchange of goods with German ports.

In general the port of Esbjerg handled almost 2,000 tonnes of goods in 2013 and represents a major

connecting point for Danish foreign trade. Even though the volume of freight between Esbjerg and

German ports remains marginal, the port of Esbjerg offers an efficient supplement to the Port of

Hamburg in terms of short sea shipping access to destinations in the United Kingdom and on the

European continent – to the benefit for the border region at large.

The ports of Rømø and Esbjerg have taken a proactive approach to accommodate the growing market

for wind energy. While Esbjerg has focussed on the shipping of wind turbines components from Danish

production facilities and on supplying services to Danish off shore wind farms, the port of Rømø

focusses on supplying services to German off shore wind farms. Both ports are distinguished by their

ability to deliver adequate port depths in the otherwise shallow waters of the Wadden Sea.

Finally, a number of small and medium sized ports also contribute to the supply of easy and efficient

access to waterborne transport in the borderland region. The ports of Kolding and Aabenraa offer

modern reception facilities and are important to the region for the supply of building materials,

foodstuff and other forms of dry bulk.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Aabenraa Havn Esbjerg Havn Fredericia Havn Kolding Havn

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2.4 Aviation

Civil aviation in the EU, including domestic routes, is based on an internal market with free access for

all carriers in all EU/EEA member states. The companies decide which routes they will serve based on

their commercial considerations.

Domestic scheduled civil aviation in Denmark is concentrated to at present six routes to and from

Copenhagen Airport. Two of the routes serve Southern Jutland: Billund, 130 km from the German

border, and Sønderborg, 50 km from the border.

In 2013 approximately 135.000 passengers travelled between Copenhagen Airport and Billund Airport

and approximately 41.000 passengers travelled between Sønderborg Airport and Copenhagen Airport.

There are at present three routes linking Southern Jutland with Germany: between Billund and

Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf.

The numbers of passengers from Billund and the German destinations are shown in table 2.4.1

Table 2.4.1. Numbers of passengers from Billund Airport to German destinations.

Route Passengers, 2013

Billund – Frankfurt 192.000

Billund – München 14.000

Billund –Düsseldorf 9.000

Of the larger airports in Southern Jutland, Esbjerg Airport (80 km. from the border) has only routes to

Aberdeen and Stavanger and Vojens Airport (50 km. from the border) has no routes at all.

General aviation is a flexible and important means of transport for most of the regions greater

companies. From Billund Airport there are flights to a large number of airports - especially in Europe.

From both Billund Airport and Sønderborg Airport there are a considerable number of flights to

Copenhagen Airport, and from Copenhagen there are a large number of routes to intra- and extra-

European destinations. Esbjerg Airport is essential for especially the off-shore industry.

Domestic flight routes between Danish and international airports can help to ensure a high level of

regional accessibility and will contribute to regional development, especially for remote areas where

travel time to Copenhagen is considerably shorter by plane than by train and ferry. Also the airports

become essential to the companies in relation to commercial interaction and connectivity and thereby a

key element when securing development and economic growth in the regions.

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Germany

2.5. Roads

A 7 motorway

The most important road connection between the Scandinavian countries and Continental Europe is the

A7 motorway (European road E 45), which leads in a north south direction through all of Germany up

to Frederikshavn in the north of Denmark. In Schleswig-Holstein, the A 7 follows the route of the

historical “oxen trail”. The Schleswig-Holstein part of the motorway is 146 kilometres long, has four

lanes and a hard shoulder as required by German highway standards. The hard shoulders between the

exits Hamburg-Schnelsen-Nord and Kaltenkirchen and between Neumünster-Süd and the three-way

interchange Bordesholm can be used in cases of a high volume of traffic. The A 7 motorway crosses Kiel

Canal near Rendsburg on the Rader Bridge, a viaduct measuring 1.5 kilometres in length.

The state capital of Kiel is connected to the A 7 by the A 215 motorway at the three-way interchange

“Bordesholm” and by the A 210 at the four-way interchange Rendsburg. The A 7 is connected with

several federal highways which mainly run in an east west direction and partly in a north south

direction. In the city of Hamburg, the A 7 has mostly 6 lanes and 8 lanes in front of the Elbe Tunnel. The

three-way interchange “Hamburg-Nordwest” in the city of Hamburg connects the A 7 and the A 23

coming from Heide.

As a principal thoroughfare the A 7 absorbs a major share of the traffic running in north- south

direction with considerable transit traffic from and to Denmark and/or Scandinavia. With the

completion of the Store Bælt Link in 1997, the traffic has partially shifted from the “Vogelfluglinie” to

the A 7. There is also an increase in commuter traffic mainly in direction to and from Hamburg,

meaning that the volume of traffic keeps growing close to Hamburg. The highest volume of traffic is

close to the Elbe Tunnel with an average of 150,000 vehicles per day. Because of the traffic jams that

occur very often, the Elbe Tunnel is getting to be more of a bottleneck than ever before.

The A 7 is especially important for the mobility of the people from Schleswig-Holstein. For many

businesses in Schleswig-Holstein, the A 7 is the most important transport link to the relevant markets,

which are often far away. Also for this reason it is especially important that the efficiency of the A 7 be

preserved by needs-oriented extension projects. Concrete projects plans are described in Chapter 4.1.

Rader Bridge

Reconstruction work done on the bridge piers in July 2013 brought to light previously unforeseeable

extensive damage to the bridge with substantial static impact. After consultation of a testing engineer

traffic restrictions needed to be imposed at short notice so as not to risk further damage to the load-

bearing capacity of the bridge:

- closure of the bridge for vehicles over 7.5 t in both directions

- narrowing of lanes in both directions to single-lane operation

- permanent monitoring of the “trouble spot”

These traffic restrictions had serious consequences, especially for the north- and south-bound traffic

and thus for destinations in the northern part of Schleswig-Holstein and in Denmark.

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The damaged bridge piers were repaired immediately so that the high-level bridge at Rade could

reopened for two-lane traffic in both directions on Nov. 11, 2013. For

vehicles exceeding 7.5 t however, the following restrictions are still in place:

- speed limit of 60 km/h for trucks

- ban on overtaking for trucks and a minimum distance of 25 m (also in traffic jams)

- closure of both hard shoulders still effective

- maximum load of 84 t for (approved) heavy haulages still effective

Originally the Rader Bridge had an operating life expectancy of 80 to 100 years. A static recalculation

done in mid-2014 resulted in a remaining useful life of only 12 years. A timely replacement, i.e. a new

construction crossing Kiel Canal is of utmost priority.

A 23 motorway and B 5 federal highway

In the west of Schleswig-Holstein the most important transport routes are the B 5 federal highway and -

from Heide to Hamburg - the A 23 motorway, which connect the west coast region. The B 5 crosses the

German-Danish border north of Süderlügum. It is then called European road E 11 and runs via Esbjerg

to the north of Jutland up to Aalborg. The volume of traffic towards Hamburg is increasing considerably

on the B 5 and A 23, respectively, as will be shown in the following chapter. Concrete expansion projects

are described in Chapter 4.1.

A 20 motorway

The A 20 motorway is gradually being built from east to west in order to create a highly competitive

east-west main thoroughfare - from Poland to the Netherlands. The A 20 will be connected with the A

21 motorway near Bad Segeberg, with the A 7 near Bad Bramstedt and with the A 23 near Hohenfelde. A

fixed link across the river Elbe is planned near Glücksburg and a connection with the A 26 and the A 27

in Lower Saxony. This project including the fixed link across the river Elbe has been included as an

urgent priority in the German Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan.

With the final extension of the A 20 it will be possible to circuit and decongest the busy traffic hub of

Hamburg and to improve the connection to the less developed west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. At that

point in time, the A 20 will also be an attractive transport route for the transit traffic running to and

from Denmark.

There is an agreement in the coalition contract of the political parties forming the government of

Schleswig-Holstein that the A 20 will be extended up to the A 7 in this legislative period (until 2017).

The sections west of the A 7 including the fixed link across the river Elbe will be planned nonetheless.

2.6. Railway

In Schleswig-Holstein the rail network is traditionally orientated towards the railway hub of Hamburg,

with the main lines running to Sylt ("marsh railway-line "), Flensburg ("Jutland-line"), Kiel, Lübeck and

Fehmarn ("Vogelfluglinie"). This rail network is supplemented by cross-country routes. In the Jutland

Corridor, these are the following lines: Flensburg-Kiel, Husum-Jübek-Kiel, Kiel-Lübeck, Heide-

Neumünster-Bad Oldesloe and Niebüll-Tønder and - with a more regional character - the lines Niebüll-

Dagebüll, Husum-Bad St. Peter Ording and Heide-Büsum.

In the Hamburg Metropolitan Region the lines Hamburg-Eidelstedt, Ulzburg-Norderstedt and

Elmshorn-Henstedt-Ulzburg of the AKN Eisenbahn AG as well as the suburban rail lines (S-Bahnen) to

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Wedel and Aumühle play an important role in commuter traffic. Besides, there are rail networks for the

transport of cargo in Kiel, Lübeck and Brunsbüttel.

In the Jutland Corridor international passenger and cargo transport mainly runs on the line of the same

name. The Jutland-line running to Hamburg via Flensburg, Schleswig, Rendsburg and Neumünster is

double-tracked, electrified and constructed for a speed of 160 km/h. Near Rendsburg, the railway

crosses Kiel Canal on a high-level bridge which was built in 1913. At present, the bridge is undergoing

thorough restoration and will be dimensioned for bigger weight charges (load for each wheel of 22.5

tons). Until completion, which is planned for the year 2016, the bridge is a bottleneck because of the

speed and weight limitations. Once the bridge has been modernized, it can be crossed by 2 trains at the

same time and is expected to have an additional operating life of at least 30 years.

The Jutland-line and the marsh railway-line converge in Elmshorn. From Elmshorn and/or Pinneberg

the route is complemented with regional railway and suburban traffic. With the introduction of the

Store Bælt-Link in 1997, all of the cargo haulage by rail was shifted to the Jutland-line. This track

section has nearly reached the limits of its capacity. However, it is expected that the introduction of the

Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link will shift parts of the transit activities from the Jutland-line back to the

Vogelfluglinie and thus relieve the Jutland-line somewhat.

The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan (“Bundesverkehrswegeplan” - BVWP) of 2003 includes a

three-tracked extension of the rail system between Elmshorn and Pinneberg as a so-called urgent need

(“Vordringlichen Bedarf”). In autumn 2010, a re-evaluation of the planned projects was undertaken

with the result that the above-mentioned extension is no longer necessary because of the anticipated

relief provided by the completion of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link. As an alternative to a conventional

three-tracked extension, the State of Schleswig-Holstein has suggested an improvement of the suburban

connections in this section, which would also free up capacity on the main track. This project was

submitted for the 2015 BVWP.

On the whole, the railway hub of Hamburg is a bottleneck, especially for the rail traffic running in

southern direction. The problem was studied by the BMVBS (especially in a report about the

“Development and assessment of a concept for the railway hub Hamburg of March 2009”). The report

recommends that the rail connections to the south be extended for the transport of containers and for

suburban passenger trains.

The marsh railway-line leading from Hamburg to Sylt is mainly double-tracked except for a few one-

tracked sections, designed for a speed of 140 km/h and electrified from Hamburg to Itzehoe. In Niebüll,

the marsh line is connected with the Danish railroad network via Tønder and Esbjerg by the privately

owned company Norddeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft Niebüll GmbH (neg). A 17.7 km long, single-

tracked and non-electrified section between Niebüll and Tønder that had been closed down in 1980 was

reactivated in 1997. A few years ago, extensive reconstruction work was done on the track with financial

support from the State of Schleswig-Holstein.

2.7. Ports and shipping

There are two regular ferry services between Germany and Denmark. On the one hand, there is the so-

called “Vogelfluglinie” between the ports of Puttgarden and Rödby and, on the other, there is a ferry-

connection between the ports of List on the island of Sylt and Havneby on the island of Rømø. As this

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report focuses exclusively on the Jutland Corridor only the line between List and Havneby will be

discussed.

For individual transport from the mainland this 16-km-long ferry connection, inaugurated in 1963,

represents a popular alternative to the rail link via the Hindenburg-damm. The ferry service is operated

by Syltfahre.de, an enterprise of the FRS (Förde Reederei Seetouristik), using a double-ended ferry

called SyltExpress. The crossing takes approx. 35-40 minutes.

This report does not discuss Kiel Canal (NOK). Whereas the NOK plays a preeminent role as an

international waterway in the transport of cargo into the entire Baltic Sea region, largely to and from the

Port of Hamburg, it does not have a special function for the cross-border transport of goods in the

Jutland Corridor.

2.8. Air traffic

The airfield Flensburg-Schäferhaus is the only airfield with a cross-border function in the Schleswig-

Holstein part of the Jutland Corridor. Due to its location near the border it is also used by Danish

customers. Already founded in 1910, the airfield has three runways altogether. One of them, made of

bitumen, has a length of 1.580 m and a maximum weight-bearing capacity of 30 t. For this reason, the

airfield is well suited for business charter flights.

Air-charter enterprises offering commercial and private flights as well as sightseeing flights are located

in the vicinity of the airfield. Moreover, Germany’s largest seaplane enterprise has its seat in Flensburg.

Flight schools offer lessons for flying airplanes, gliders, ultra-light planes and seaplanes as well as for

parachuting. Aerial advertisement and hangar places are offered. Besides, an aviation-technical

company (servicing and repair of motorized aircraft) is located on the airfield as well. The fuelling

facilities provided offer AVGAS 100 LL for piston engines as well as jet A 1 (kerosene) for turboprop

aircraft and jet engines. The water aerodrome Flensburg-Sonwik on Flensburg fjord is also nearby.

Beyond the borders of Schleswig-Holstein, the airport at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel (Hamburg Airport) is

interesting also for Danish travellers. It offers a huge number of German and European destinations as

well as some intercontinental connections.

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Chapter 3. Development in traffic in the Jutland corridor from 2000 to today.

Figures and facts

This chapter has its focus on the development in traffic in the Jutland corridor within the last decade.

The chapter describes the development in Denmark and Germany respectively.

Denmark:

3.1 Roads

Developments in traffic concerning roads can be analyzed by using several parameters. For example

with traffic performance calculated by the mileage of the various means of transport travels during a

period. The traffic performance thereby expresses to what extent the load of traffic affects the

infrastructure. Figure 3.1.1 shows the trend in traffic performance (driven km) in Southern Jutland. As

seen on the figure the traffic has been increased 2003 – 2013.

Figure 3.1.1 Trends in traffic performance in the Southern Jutland 2003 – 2013

(2001=index 100)

There is a fall in traffic growth in 2007 due to the financial crisis.

Map 3.1.1 indicates traffic trends based on traffic counting 2003 – 2013 at selected locations on the

trunk roads in the southern part of Jutland.

96

98

100

102

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106

108

110

112

114

116

118

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

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Map 3.1.1 Traffic growth at specific locations on the trunk road network in the southern

part of Jutland, 2003 – 2013.

From 2003 – 2013 there has been an increase in the number of vehicles passing the two border trunk

roads between Denmark and Germany. Figure 3.1.2 shows the trend in the number of vehicles crossing

the border and Figure 3.1.3 shows the development in truck traffic across the Danish-German border

(northbound) from 2003 – 2013.

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Figure 3.1.2 Trends in the number of vehicles passing the Danish-German border in

Jutland 2003 - 2013 (2000 = index 100).

As seen on the figure the number of vehicles passing the Danish-German border have been relatively

stable for the crossing at Frøslev, while the amount of crossings at Sæd is increasing steadily with a

slight drop in 2013.

Figure 3.1.3. Development in truck traffic across the Danish-German border

(northbound) 2003 - 2013 (Index 100 = 2002)

Source: International Transport Danmark and estimates made by the Danish Road Directorate

0

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60

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120

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2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Sæd

Frøslev

90,0

95,0

100,0

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115,0

120,0

125,0

130,0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

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Figure 3.1.3. shows that after the drop in truck traffic across the Danish-German border in a

northbound direction in 2008, the level in 2013 has increased to almost that of 2007.

Overall the growth in traffic in Southern Jutland is similar to the growth in the rest of Denmark.

3.2 Railway

Freight transportation

There is an ambition to improve rail road freight transportation in Southern Jutland and across the

border. A freight terminal will be established in Esbjerg together with a rail line to the Port of Esbjerg

linking railroad freight to sea transport. Vestas has chosen the railway as the preferred way of transport

of wind mill wings from Lauchhammer in Germany to the Port of Esbjerg.

The chart below illustrates the development in freight transport (tonnes of cargo) in the period 2000-

2013. The railroad freight transit has increased by 240 per cent since 2000. The railway freight

transportation in and out of Denmark across the German border (measured in tonnes) has declined by

58 per cent in the same period.

Figure 3.2.1. Development in rail freight transport across the Danish-German border

2000-2013

Source: Statistics Denmark

According to the Danish Transport Authority2 the railway freight transit traffic will increase by 5.2 per

cent per year until the opening of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link. Hereafter the total growth in transit

freight through Denmark, until the establishment of double track on the German side of the border, is

expected to be 31 per cent.

2 Danish Transport Authority: Trafikplan for den statslige jernbane 2012-2027.

0

1.000

2.000

3.000

4.000

5.000

6.000

7.000

8.000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Thousand tonnes

Transit freight

International freight

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With the opening of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link in 2022 a substantial share of transit traffic will be

directed from the route via Padborg to the route via Fehmarn. After this shift the freight traffic via

Padborg is expected to grow again until full capacity is established in the German Hinterland of the

Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link through the establishment of double track.

Passenger transportation

The intercity trains operating every two hours between Copenhagen and Flensburg are the backbone of

the railway traffic via Padborg. The trains – operated by DSB – have a German train control system. In

Flensburg there are connections to high speed regional trains to Hamburg every hour. In addition two

international trains operate across the border between Aarhus-Hamburg (-Berlin). The daily night

service operating between Copenhagen and Basel/Berlin/Prague was closed in November 2014.

Out of the 400.000 train passengers travelling across the Padborg border each year, approximately 80

per cent travel to and from Jutland and 20 per cent to and from Funen and Zealand.

On the Tønder-Niebüll rail line, regional trains cross the border every two hours. In Niebüll there are

good connections to high speed regional trains to Hamburg. The number of passengers crossing the

border by train via Tønder is 80.000 per year that support operation of regional trains3.

The map beneath depicts annual passenger trips in 1995 and 2012 and shows an increase in number of

passengers crossing the border via Padborg. It is not possible to draw conclusions on passenger

development on the rail line crossing the border via Tønder due to the lack of data from 1995.

3 Danish Transport Authority: Hearing edition of the national traffic plan.

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Map 3.2.1. Annual passenger trips in 1995 and 2012

3.3 Ports and shipping

Traffic volumes in Southern Jutland ports can roughly be divided into two categories; freight and

passenger transport.

Freight

In general, Danish ports also felt the consequences of the global economic downturn. Activity in ports

and the amount of freight volumes handled entered into a downward trend in the years 2008-2010.

After three consecutive years of reduced activity, the pattern appeared to be changing in 2011 as freight

volumes grew. However in 2012 volumes decreased slightly again but grew in 2013, albeit cautiously

(fig. 3.3.1).

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Fig. 3.3.1: Development in freight volumes in Danish ports (1000 t)

Source: Statistics Denmark

In terms of the transport of goods between Southern Jutland ports and Germany, the impact of the

economic downturn is less apparent. Although 2008 did coincide with a slight downwards trend in

goods volumes, the development in the subsequent years appears to be less of a result of the general

economic climate. According to fig. 3.3.2 the transport of goods between Southern Jutland ports and

Germany are more or less on par with the situation before the global economic downturn.

The port of Fredericia stands out as the port with the largest freight volumes with a growth exceeding

that of 2008. After a significant increase in freight volumes in 2010, volumes dropped in 2011, but have

since then increased in the two succeeding years and have almost reached the volume of 2010.

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Development in freight volumes in Danish ports (1000 t)

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Fig. 3.3.2: Development in freight volumes between Southern Jutland ports and Germany

(1000 t)

Source: Statistics Denmark

Passenger transport

The ferry service from the port of Esbjerg to the island of Fanø is the busiest domestic service in

Denmark. In 2013 the ferry service handled almost 1.6 million passengers and more than 300.000

private cars.

South Jutland is also home to a second domestic ferry link between the island of Als (Fynshav) and

Funen (Bøjden). The Fynshav-Bøjden link represents an important alternative to the fixed link across

the Little Belt and provides a shortcut to Funen for the border region.

In addition to the domestic Southern Jutland ferry lines, an international route operates between the

island of Rømø (Havneby) and Sylt (List). The 2013 traffic volumes of the Rømø-Sylt link are listed in

table 3.3.1. A sizeable passenger transport and the substantial accommodation of bicycles are indicative

of the importance of the ferry link to local communities and not least with regard to tourism.

Table 3.3.1: Transport volumes, Rømø-Sylt

2013

Passengers 321.000

Cars 49.509

Busses 1.301

Lorries 8.642

Bicycles 8.141

Source: Statistics Denmark

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Development in freight volumes between Southern Jutland ports and Germany (1000 t)

Aabenraa Havn

Esbjerg Havn

Fredericia Havn

Kolding Havn

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3.4 Air traffic – The case of Sønderborg Airport

Sønderborg Airport is owned by Sønderborg Kommune (municipality). The airport was historically tied

to the Danish airline Cimber (later Cimber Sterling) which had its head office at the airport and for 46

years served the route to and from Copenhagen until its bankruptcy in May 2012.

The route was immediately taken over by the Danish carrier DAT. In 2013 Air Alsie stated up on the

route instead of DAT. In 2013 the airport had about 43.000 passengers whereof about 41.000 used the

only scheduled route to and from Copenhagen.

As part of its development plans, in 2010 the airport engaged a consultancy firm to report on the

possibilities for changing the airport into a “binational” Danish/German airport, or for other co-

operative arrangements, with the main purpose of attracting more passengers from the German side of

the border to the existing route to Copenhagen and to new routes that might be created. Within 1 ½

driving hour from the airport live 1.6 million people, whereof 40 per cent in Germany. The analysis has

received support from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund.

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Germany

3.5. Development in road traffic

The development of traffic volume in the Jutland Corridor is shown in the following figures. The maps

based on Germany-wide traffic counts present the average traffic per day (Monday to Sunday)

expressed in number of vehicles per day. These counts distinguish between:

- KFZ = all types of motor vehicles and

- SV = the share of heavy vehicle traffic (more than 12 tons in weight and busses).

Traffic count in the year 2000:

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Traffic count in the year 2005:

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Traffic count in the year 2010:

As regards the A7 motorway, it can be concluded that the volume of traffic has risen between the years

2000 and 2010. The rise in traffic volume is above average especially in the area close to the border,

whereas it is the more moderate the further south one gets. But still, this trend is no indication of the

efficiency of this particular road section given that the absolute congestion rate is higher than in the

north. Consequently, the capacity of the A7 motorway north of the interchange A7 / A215 can be

considered to be adequate. Merely individual road sections, as for example the area of the Rader

Hochbrücke, the high-level bridge near Rendsburg, are critical at certain times. South of the above-

mentioned motorway interchange, traffic capacity levels are exceeded regularly, especially in the area

around Neumünster and in the metropolitan area of Hamburg.

A similar development is to be noted as regards the motorway A 23 and the federal highway B 5,

respectively: over-proportional increases can be observed in the area close to the border; whereas

towards the south the increases of traffic are more moderate. Problems on the B 5 are mainly caused by

tourist and agricultural traffic in the summer months, especially in the section between Tönning and

Bredstedt. South of Heide the quantity of traffic reaches a volume that warrants the profile of a

motorway.

In general terms, it can be concluded that there has only been a moderate increase in heavy vehicle

traffic in Schleswig-Holstein. Again, a disproportionate rise can be noted in the area close to the border.

3.6. Development in rail traffic

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Currently, there are two border crossings between Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark used by local

passenger traffic (SPNV), namely Flensburg - Padborg and Niebüll - Tønder. Via the respective train

stations on the Danish side of the border there are through trains from Flensburg to Kolding, Odense,

Roskilde and Copenhagen as well as from Niebüll to Esbjerg.

The border crossing at Flensburg - Padborg is used by the SPNV as well as by international long-

distance passenger and cargo traffic. While the state is responsible for the SPNV as a so-called

“Aufgabenträger”, i.e. operator, it does not have any immediate influence on long-distance traffic,

because that is run commercially by Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) and the Danish state rail (DSB).

For long-distance transport 2 pairs of trains (Hamburg-Århus and Berlin-Århus) are offered by DB AG

und DSB. For local passenger traffic, the so-called SPNV, the State of Schleswig-Holstein provides 9

pairs of trains, offering a connection every two hours. The trains mostly run directly from Flensburg to

Copenhagen, with Danish IC3 multiple unit trains being used for this line. These trains featuring a

standard appropriate for long-distance travel also serve as a substitute in this function. A considerable

increase in the number of passengers travelling daily was achieved since the DSB took over operations

in 2011, with the number rising from nearly 250 passengers per day to more than 400 passengers per

day.

The border-crossing Niebüll - Tønder was reopened in the past few years for the “SPNV” and the offer of

transport options is being extended step by step. Currently, there are 10 pairs of trains crossing the

border on workdays and 7 on weekends. The railway company Arriva, a foreign subsidiary of the DB AG,

provides the service, which is mainly used by German pupils attending the Danish high school in

Tønder. The number of passengers using this line is rising steadily and demand is particularly high in

summertime due to the tourists. It has been possible to step up demand substantially since the year

2006. As a model of good cross-border cooperation the

Danish Trafikstyrelsen is in charge of this section of the line.

The following table shows the development of the average number of passengers per day in cross-border

passenger traffic, i.e. SPNV:

Railway line 2003 2006 2010 2011 2012 2013

Tønder - Süderlügum 57 98 131 112 133 132

Padborg - Flensburg 267 252 262 420 420 391

Altogether, cross-border passenger rail-traffic which started from a low level is developing very

successfully. In order to support this trend, there are plans to extend both connections to run on an

hourly basis in the medium- to long-term.

3.7. Development in shipping

Ferry services between List/Sylt and Havneby/Rømø have developed as follows (expressed in tons):

2000 2010 2011 2012 2013

Transshipment 53,654 t 59,994 t 92,634 t* 86,546 98,036

Passengers 415,467 421,072 389,563 295,411 323,672

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Increase in quantity because of some bigger building projects on the island of Sylt

3.8. Development of freight traffic

In the area of the A 7 motorway border crossing at Ellund the average everyday quantity of traffic (dtV)

has risen from approx. 12,400 vehicles in 2005 to 16,200 in 2010. The share of trucks is approx. 25%. In

the area of the B 5 federal highway/ border to Denmark the dtV has risen from 4,283 motor vehicles in

2000 to 5,771 vehicles in 2010, with the share of trucks being approx. 4% (Source: Traffic count in

2010). In 2008, the cross-border volume of freight traffic in the area of Germany/ Northern border-

region and Denmark amounted to 23.7 million tons by truck and 6.2 million tons by rail (Source: CB

Log of Oct. 14, 2010).

3.9. Development of air traffic

In the year 2000, some 16,600 flight movements were counted on the airfield Flensburg-Schäferhaus

(takeoffs and landings by airplanes). The number amounted to 13,200 in the year 2005 and 12,900 in

2011.

At the airport of Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel approx. 165,000 flight movements and some 10 million

passengers were counted in 2000. In 2005, the number of flight movements dropped to about 156,000

(with 10.7 million passengers) and in the year 2013 there were 144,000 aircraft movements (with 13.5

million passengers).

A survey done at Hamburg airport in 2013 revealed that app. 110,000 Danish passengers used the

airport (journey from Denmark and flight from / to Hamburg, without transit passengers from

Copenhagen). Thus, the share of Danish passengers was less than 1%.

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Chapter 4. Current infrastructure programmes in Denmark and Germany -Focusing

on the Jutland corridor.

Denmark

The Jutland corridor is the backbone of the Jutland infrastructure system. In the Danish road system,

the Jutland corridor is represented mainly by the E45 motorway in Eastern Jutland, which has provided

a high level of mobility and economic development in the region. However, the growth in traffic causes

increasing congestion on parts of E45, which will be one of the key issues for the future infrastructure to

handle.

Within the last few years, several initiatives have been carried out for the benefit of the motorists on

E45. In 2013, the most trafficked stretch at Vejle was expanded, and in 2014 the capacity at Kolding was

enlarged by inclusion of the emergency lanes. With the political transport agreement of 24 June 2014 it

was decided to allocate DKK 38.9 million for the construction of a third southbound lane south of the

Limfjord Tunnel at Aalborg, where the accessibility is currently challenged. Furthermore, approx. DKK

100 million was given in grants to four new interchanges at Skanderborg, Kolding, Aarhus and Horsens.

In addition, several road projects in the Jutland corridor are ready to be initiated, when the funding is

provided. This is the case for an extension of the motorway between Fredericia and Kolding and a Third

Limfjord Fixed Link at Aalborg, which have both been analyzed at the EIA level.

With regard to the long-term development strategies, the Jutland corridor has been part of a broader

planning effort, which has identified large-scale infrastructure demands in the years after 2020 and

major strategic options for further infrastructure investments beyond 2020 (the strategic analyses).

This work was initiated by a broad political agreement in 2009 and finalized in the spring 2014 with a

summary report.

The strategic analyses have identified two main long-term development strategies for

north/southbound road capacity in Jutland:

Further development of the motorway capacity in the E45 corridor

Different models for establishment of a new motorway corridor in Central Jutland

The analyses show that the cheapest and most effective way to deal with the growing congestion

problems in East Jutland in 2030 will be a gradual expansion of the E45 corridor. Environmentally, it

will be relatively little intrusive to expand the highway in the existing corridor. But in terms of traffic, it

will be disturbing for road users in the periods in which construction work is in progress.

Another strategy is to establish a new motorway corridor though Central Jutland, e.g. the so-called

“Hærvejsmotorvej”. A new motorway corridor through Central Jutland can both absorb some of the

traffic from the E45 and connect some Central and West Jutland towns that are not currently connected

to the motorway network. The strategic analyses show that especially the central corridor

(“Hærvejsmotorvejen”), can postpone the needs for expansions of the E45. However, the project is very

extensive and expensive with a construction budget of DKK 15-20 billion. The full relief impact in

relation to E45 requires that the new motorway is fully established, which is estimated to take at least 15

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years. In addition, even with a fully established Central Jutland motorway, congestion will still occur in

some sections of E45

Overall, the report concludes that irrespective of the chosen long-term development strategy in Jutland,

it will be necessary to expand the stretches of the E45, which are already congested at present.

In recent years there has also been invested heavily in upgrading the existing rail infrastructure in

Denmark. The political accord states that the train must be a viable alternative to the car, and most of

the traffic growth in the future must be absorbed by public transport.

Investments have also been made in the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) that will

harmonize the European signal systems and make all Danish rail transport more efficient. Installation

will start on early deployment lines in 2016 for testing in commercial service before the main roll-out of

the new signalling system. The new signalling system will be implementet before the end of 2021 with

an overlap between lines, prioritised according to the traffic level, with roll-out taking place first on the

most heavily used lines.

It has been decided to upgrade the single track section between Vamdrup and Vojens of 20 km. to

double tracks. The upgrade will be finalised ultimo 2015 and will eliminate the bottleneck between

Vamdrup and Vojens.. It has also been decided to electrify the railway between Esbjerg and Lunderskov.

This is the first step towards electrification of the most important Danish rail lines. The electrification

will provide a modern, cheaper, more stable and environment friendly railway.

Furthermore investments will be made in a program focussing on repairing and replacing rail tracks

and bridges in order to improve the reliability.

In January 2014 the Danish government agreed with the parliament on the so-called “Train Fund

Denmark”, which will modernize the Danish railway system dramatically. Denmark will spend almost

€4 billion – from harmonization of the taxes on oil from the North Sea – with the purpose of building

new tracks for high speed trains and the electrification of the main rail-system. According to the plan,

Denmark will invest in 90 km [55 miles] new high-speed double-track lines. Additionally, existing lines

will be upgraded and almost 600 km [370 miles] of tracks will be electrified. The Train Fund will result

in massive investments in the railway system, which will also benefit the transport corridors to

Germany.

Train Fund Denmark will be realized in the middle of the 2020’s according to the plan.

Finally ports play a key role in terms of Danish international trade. The main share in terms of volume

of all imports and exports is transported by ship. This makes ports a central node for freight transport

also providing intermodal transport.

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Germany

In principle, federal transport routes in Germany are planned and financed by the federal level (Bund).

The main strategic planning instrument encompassing all transport modes is the Federal Transport

Infrastructure Plan (BVWP), which classifies projects into the categories “urgent need” (Vordringlicher

Bedarf) and “additional need” (Weiterer Bedarf). However, the BVWP is not a finance plan, meaning

that even projects classified as an urgent need do not "automatically" get their funding. The existing

BVWP from the year 2003 has been underfinanced for years now because of the gap between the

financial need and the actually available funds of the federal transport budget.

Essentially, the BVWP decided by the Federal Government only has the nature of a recommendation.

However, the plan was taken up by German Parliament (Bundestag) for the federal railways and the

major federal roads in the so-called "needs plan" (Bedarfsplan), which is an annex to both the Federal

Railway Extension Act (Bundesschienenwegeausbaugesetz (BSchwAG) and the Federal Trunk Road

Extension Act (Fernstraßenausbaugesetz (FStrAbG). These two laws provide that 5-year plans be drawn

up for the concrete realisation of the needs plan. For this purpose, the Federal Ministry of Transport

and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) compiles so-called “investment framework plans”

(Investitionsrahmenplan - IRP) for a period of 5 years. The current IRP is valid for the period from 2011

to 2015.

At present, the BMVI is working on an update of the BVWP which shall be applicable from 2015. The

following bullet points summarize the current status of the procedure:

The BMVI presented its basic concept in the spring of 2014.

A new traffic forecast for the period up to the year 2030 has been available since the summer

of 2014.

The period for submission of projects is over. The projects will be reviewed by the BMVI

and/or their external consultants on the basis of defined criteria (cost-benefit criteria etc.)

The BMVI intends to draft an overall plan from these separate projects and to discuss this

draft in the federal cabinet.

The main problem which transport infrastructure planning is faced with is that the federal transport

budget has been structurally underfunded for many years. Only roughly one half of the projects

included in the urgent need category of the 2003 BVWP could be realised to date. The condition of the

existing transport infrastructure has deteriorated Germany-wide. As a result, the BMVI announced in

its basic concept that the maintenance of the existing infrastructure shall have absolute priority. In

terms of expansion, priority shall be accorded to the removal of traffic bottlenecks and to the major axes

and freight traffic corridors.

State roads (Landesstraßen) are essentially financed by the state budget and municipal roads and lanes

by the municipalities and counties. For municipal building projects the federal state and the state of

Schleswig-Holstein grant subsidies under certain conditions according to the German Community

Transport Financing Act (Gemeindeverkehrsfinanzierungsgesetz (GVFG).

In the following the most important extension projects are presented.

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4.1. Roads

Upgrading of the A 7 motorway

Because of the growing traffic volume the A 7 motorway will be expanded between the interchange at

Bordesholm and the Elbtunnel in Hamburg from four to six or eight lanes, respectively.

In Schleswig-Holstein the expansion is planned on a length of 65 kilometres. This expansion project

costing about € 372 million is included in the “urgent need” category (Vordringlicher Bedarf) of the

BVWP as well as in the IRP 2011-2015. It will be executed in a public-private partnership as a so-called

availability model (Verfügbarkeitsmodell), meaning that besides the expansion, the private company

also takes over maintenance and operation services for a period of 30 years. A monthly remuneration is

paid for these services. Furthermore, bonus-penalty regulations have been agreed upon. The project

also contains a basic renewal of the existing lanes. To avoid delays as far as possible, 2 lanes per

direction can be used by vehicles during the construction period. Therefore, the expansion work will be

done on one side only, while the traffic runs on the other side.

Legally binding plan approval notices have been granted for all construction sections in Schleswig-

Holstein. A construction consortium was awarded the contract after completion of the tendering

procedure. Construction work is scheduled to begin at the end of 2014 and to be completed after four

years in 2018.

In the city of Hamburg 3 sections are planned for the expansion to 6 or 8 lanes, partly with coverings.

Work on the construction in Hamburg-Schnelsen began in the middle of 2014; the last section in

Hamburg-Othmarschen will be finished in 2025.

The need to build a substitute for the Rader high bridge by the year 2026 at the latest was already

discussed in Chapter 2.1.

Extension of the A 20 motorway

To provide relief for the Hamburg Elbtunnel along the A 7 motorway, a northwest bypass of Hamburg

including a new link across the river Elbe will be realised by the A 20 motorway being built in

different sections. The A 20 - coming from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - is already being used by traffic

east of Bad Segeberg. The A 20 motorway with all its sections - albeit in different realization categories

– is part of the IRP 2011-2015.

The plan approval decision for the adjoining sections between Weede and Wittenborn (south of Bad

Segeberg with the connection to the A 21 motorway) was ruled to be unlawful and unenforceable by the

Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. The Federal Administrative Court has decided in favour of the

claims filed by several conservation groups and one community. According to the ruling, the errors

found are not of such a quality that the plans as a whole must be called into question a priori. As part of

the further procedure, the State of Schleswig-Holstein is conducting more extensive fauna studies and is

assessing alternate routings especially in terms of their environmental compatibility

The impact of the above-mentioned court decision on the following sections of the motorway from

Wittenborn up to the river Elbe and for the fixed link across the Elbe itself must also be evaluated and

considered in the pan approval procedure. The Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Transport assumes that

there will be a delay of approx. 2 years because of this reworking of the project.

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Funding needs to be secured for all but one (between Hohenfelde and Sommerland) of the adjoining

sections (west of Wittenborn). As for the fixed link across the river Elbe, the Schleswig-Holstein

Ministry of Transport has proposed a funding model like those used for the Oresund and Fehmarnbelt

fixed links, where a state-run planning company implements the project, guaranteeing the debt service

by a state guarantee and thus enabling the raising of low-interest credits.

Extension of the A 23 motorway and the B 5 federal highway

Several extension projects are planned for the A 23 and B 5. The new bridge across the river Stör was

completed in June 2010. Demolition work on the old bridge has been carried out since October 2011.

The extension of the A 23 motorway from Itzehoe-South to Itzehoe-North (a four lane-expansion of the

B 5 to the A 23) has been started. Completion of the entire segment including a newly built second

bridge across the river Stör is scheduled for 2015.

The section of the B5 between Itzehoe and Wilster-West is being upgraded to three lanes. The first

construction stage was completed in April 2014. The plan approval procedure is currently under way for

the second construction phase. An upgrade of the highway between Wilster-West and Brunsbüttel is the

long-term aim as soon as the two above-mentioned sections have been completed.

In the area of the B 5 between Tönning and Husum planning for a three-lane-traffic management

system has begun. The objective is to enhance road safety and to be able to better manage peaks in

seasonal traffic. The plan approval procedure has been initiated for the first section. The construction

plans for sections 2 to 4 are currently being drawn up.

To boost the competitiveness of the west coast area, the BVWP-project “B 5 bypass Hattstedt –

Bredstedt” will be realised in addition. The plan approval notice was granted on March 30, 2012, but is

pending at court. At present, a plan revision procedure is being carried out. The project is included in

the IRP.

The state government is of the opinion that the current traffic volume and the traffic volume expected in

the medium-term do not warrant a four-lane motorway-like expansion of the B 5 federal highway north

of Heide up to the Danish border, as is demanded by the region.

4.2. Railway

The following expansion projects are planned for the Jutland Corridor:

- upgrading and modernisation of the railway station in Elmshorn with the construction of a

fourth platform line

- improvement of the suburban rail connection from Hamburg to Elmshorn including an

expansion to three tracks between Elmshorn and Pinneberg.

The projects are incorporated in the urgent need category of the BVWP – albeit in a somewhat different

configuration (cf. Section 2.2). However, financing has not been secured as yet.

Work on the design and permit planning for a continuous double-track upgrade and electrification of

the A1 line between Hamburg-Eidelstedt and Kaltenkirchen operated by AKN is currently in progress.

The new line “S 21” will enable rapid transit from Kaltenkirchen to Hamburg Central Station.

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As regards the marsh railway line, the State of Schleswig-Holstein wishes to achieve a complete double-

track extension and electrification of the line between Itzehoe and Westerland. For this purpose, the

project has been submitted to the Federal MOT for inclusion in the BVWP, the Federal Transport

Infrastructure Plan.

Currently, there are no plans to extend the Niebüll-Tønder line.

4.3. Shipping

To the best of the State Government’s knowledge no extension projects are planned for cross-border

traffic.

4.4. Air traffic

To the best of the State Government’s knowledge no extension projects are planned for the airfield at

Flensburg-Schäferhaus.

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Chapter 5. Prioritised projects by the Danish-German Transport Commission

In the previous chapters the interim report from the Danish-German Transport Commission was

updated. In chapter 5 the projects which the members of the commission have prioritised will be

described. The projects are categorised into different categories according to geography and mode of

transport. To each project a fact sheet has been made, which gives a short introduction to the most

important facts about the project. This chapter lists the different fact sheets according to the category

the fact sheet has been ascribed to.

The fact sheets focus on either the Danish or the German side, but several of the projects are cross-

border by nature. When possible the fact sheets from the Danish/German side of a related project will

follow one another.

Fact sheets are categorized into railway/road and western/mid-eastern corridor as listed in the table on

the following page. Projects which cannot meaningfully be ascribed to any of the above categories are

categorized as “other”.

The western corridor

The south-western part of Jutland and north-western part of Germany are connected with the

summerhouse area on the west coast both by Route 11/B5 running from Esbjerg to Heide and the rail

line Bramming – Tønder – Niebüll. Thus this road and railway section is of great importance for the

local traffic as well as for tourists visiting the West coast during holidays.

The mid/eastern corridor

The E45/A7 represents the international connection between Norway and part of Sweden and the rest

of Europe and serves much of the national northbound and southbound traffic and passenger flows

through Jutland to Germany and to the rest of Europe. The E45/A7 produces a high level of mobility

and economic development in the region. The motorway serves several types of traffic, which are all

growing in volume. This goes for commuter traffic, traffic within and between regions and international

traffic flow towards Germany and Europe.

The railway running from Hirtshals – Aalborg – Aarhus –Hamburg is of great importance to both

passenger traffic as well as freight traffic. More than half of the trailers arriving by ferry in Hirsthals are

destined south of the Danish-German border and is therefore highly relevant for the Scandinavian rail

freight corridor between Hirtshals and Hamburg.

All fact sheets are shown in appendix A to E.

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Western corridor Mid/eastern corridor

Roads Upgrade/extensions

of Route 11/B5 New motorway through central Jutland

Expansion of the A 7 motorway to six lanes from the

interchange at Bordesholm to the Danish border

Construction of a bridge to replace the Rader Bridge

Establishment of a Danish-German mobility

management system for steering traffic guidance

measures while expansion work is in progress on

the A 7 motorway

Extension of the A 20 motorway with a fixed link

across the river Elbe west of Hamburg at Glückstadt

B 199 –Bypass around Handewitt

East-West connections in Schleswig-Holstein

Railway Upgrade Bramming-

Tønder - Niebüll

Improvement of the

railway services

along the westcoast

Extension of marsh

railway-line

Improvements on the Scandinavian rail freight

corridor Hirtshals-Hamburg

Double track and high speed Aarhus-Hamburg

Extensions in the intermodal terminal in Padborg

Jutland-railwayline: Improvement of the transport-

services

Jutland-railwayline: shortening of passage time

Cooperation between the combined transport

terminals of Padborg and Neumünster

Replacement of the high level rail bridge in

Rendsburg by a new structure

Other Standardisation of signalling system in Germany and Denmark

Speed upgrade of the rail line Sønderborg-Tinglev

Common Danish-German railway station

Cross-border shipping in the fjord of Flensburg

Logistics

Airtraffic: Use of aiports in Sønderborg and Billund for German customers

Extension of electro-mobility

PRELIMINARY DRAFT

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Chapter 6. Recommendations The members of the Danish-German Transport Commission agree that not all of the proposed projects

can be achieved within a short period of time. The recommendations from the commission are therefore

categorised into short/medium term, long term and very long term achievements.

The recommendations of the Danish-German Transport Commission are listed below.

1. Proposals for objectives implementable in the short or medium term

Expansion of the A 7 motorway from the interchange at Bordesholm to the Elbtunnel in Hamburg:

Establishment of a Danish-German mobility management system for steering traffic guidance measures.

Construction of the A 20 motorway (some sections in the long-term).

Upgrade of the A 23 motorway and the B 5 federal highway: - Closure of the gap near Itzehoe - Expansion to three lanes between Itzehoe and Wilster-West (2nd construction phase) - Expansion to three lanes between Tönning and Husum (partly long-term as well) - Bypass construction between Hattstedt and Bredstedt

Construction of a bypass around Handewitt (B 199 federal highway realignment)

Improvements of the Scandinavian rail freight corridor Hirtshals-Hamburg

Speed upgrade of the rail line Sønderborg-Tinglev

Extensions in the intermodal terminal in Padborg

Speed upgrade of the railway line Bramming-Tønder-Niebüll

Jutland rail line: - Expansion of the long-distance rail services on the Jutland line (second daily ICE-connection) - Expansion of the single-tracked sections in Denmark (between Tinglev and Padborg as well as

between Vanderup and Vojens)

Cross-border passenger shipping on the inner Flensburg Fjord.

Intensified use of the airports at Sønderburg and Billund by potential customers from Schleswig-Holstein

2. Proposals for objectives implementable in the long term

Upgrade of Route 11/24

Construction of a replacement for the Rader high level bridge as part of the A 7 Motorway.

Construction of the A 20 motorway (western sections, fixed link across the Elbe river).

Expansion of the B 5 federal highway: - Expansion of the section from Wilster-West to Brünsbüttel to three lanes

PRELIMINARY DRAFT

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- Expansion of the section between Tönning and Husum to three lanes.

Establish a common Danish-German railway station

Double track, high speed and electrification on the Aarhus-Hamburg rail line

Jutland rail line: Construction of a replacement for the high level rail bridge at Rendsburg

Cooperation between the Padborg and Neumünster rail logistics terminals.

Standardization of signaling technology (ETCS).

Marsh railway line: Expansion to an uninterrupted double-tracked, electrified line

3. Proposals for objectives implementable in the very long term

Construction of a new motorway through central Jutland

Expansion of the A 7 motorway to six lanes from the interchange at Bordesholm to the Danish border.

B 5 federal highway: Expansion to three lanes from Husum to the Danish border (if there are substantial increases in traffic volume and the E 11 is also expanded in Denmark).

For a description of the recommended projects see appendix A-E