Latest news with #Ritzau
Local Germany
5 days ago
- Business
- Local Germany
Rail link through new Denmark-Germany tunnel ‘delayed by several years'
Delays in building a rail link between the new Fehmarn Belt tunnel and the railway on the German mainland could set the project back years, according to new reports. A document from Germany's federal railway authority, the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, has been reported by Danish regional media as stating that it will take Germany's national rail company Deutsche Bahn six and a half years to construct a 2.2-kilometre railway tunnel between the island of Fehmarn and the German mainland. The tunnel is needed in order to connect the mainland German rail network to the Fehmarn Belt link, an 18-kilometre underwater tunnel currently under construction. The link, which is scheduled for completion in 2029 and will also carry road traffic, will connect Rødbyhavn on the Danish island of Lolland with Fehmarn in Germany. READ ALSO: King Frederik opens section of Denmark-Germany tunnel Construction of the additional tunnel on the German side has yet to receive final approval and is therefore yet to start. Given the six-year build time, this means trains are unlikely to begin running across the Fehmarn Belt before the end of 2032 at the earliest. The company Femern A/S, which is part of Sund & Bælt, is directing the Danish side of the tunnel project. The company did not comment directly on the reported directive from the German rail authority. Advertisement 'We are aware of articles currently circulating in the German media about the Fehmarn Sound tunnel,' Sund & Bælt head of media communications Jens Villemoes told Ritzau in a written comment. 'Should the timetable for the German infrastructure change, we expect the German government to inform the Danish government,' he added. Danish transport minister Thomas Danielsen told news wire Ritzau he had been informed of a directive issued by the German rail authority which states that the build time for the second tunnel would be six years. 'My ministry has contacted the German Ministry of Transport to request a detailed clarification,' the minister told Ritzau, adding he was 'following the matter closely.' Danielsen stressed that cars and other road traffic will still be able to cross the Fehmarn once the Denmark-Germany link is completed. That is because there is already a road bridge, the Fehmarn Sound Bridge, between the island of Fehmarn and mainland Germany. However, earlier reports have suggested that the project may also face a delay for the road connection. In its annual report in 2024, Sund & Bælt wrote that the scheduled opening of the road crossing in late 2029 was 'a significant challenge.'
Local Sweden
18-06-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Öresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden has ‘most expensive toll in world'
A review by a Swedish newspaper has concluded that the Öresund Bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden is the world's priciest crossing to drive over. Advertisement The Öresund Bridge is this year marking the 25th anniversary of its opening, but has been given a title it might not want to include in the celebrations. Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan has concluded that the 16-kilometre tunnel and bridge connection between Amager in Denmark and Skåne in Sweden has the most expensive bridge toll in the world. The current price for a single journey across the bridge in a private car is 510 Danish kroner or 750 Swedish kronor, making it the most expensive bridge by some distance according to Sydsvenskan. Subscribers to the Øresund Go discount scheme pay 178 Danish kroner per crossing, or 262 Swedish kronor. The subscription costs 365 Danish kroner or 565 Swedish kronor per year. This means that even with a subscription to the discount scheme, the first five crossings are still more expensive than on any other bridge in the world. More than five crossings in a year will result in a lower average price per crossing. Around 80 percent of motorists who use the bridge have either Øresund Go or another form of discount according to the newspaper. Advertisement The twin bridges between Kobe and Naruto in Japan are the world's second-most expensive to cross, with the Confederation Bridge in Canada in third place. Denmark's Great Belt Bridge between Funen and Zealand is the fourth-most expensive in the world. The high toll prices on the Öresund Bridge are necessary because it is user and not taxpayer-funded, Linus Eriksson, CEO of operating company Øresundsbron, told Danish news wire Ritzau. 'We haven't spent a single taxpayer krone financing this bridge and we still have debt to pay off,' Eriksson said. The Øresund Bridge was built at a cost of 14.8 billion Danish kroner in 1990, with its financing structure requiring loans to be repaid by users of the bridge. Eriksson also noted that tolls on the bridge are required to be based on ferry fares linking Denmark to Sweden between Helsingør and Helsingborg. The repayment period is a maximum of 50 years from the bridge's opening in 2000, meaning that the bridge is expected to be fully paid off by 2050 at the latest.
Local Sweden
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Local Sweden
How the Copenhagen-Malmö Bridge Run will affect travel (and where you can watch)
Thousands of runners will cross the Öresund Bridge this weekend as they contest a unique half-marathon taking them from Danish capital Copenhagen to Swedish city Malmö. Advertisement The 2025 Bridge Run takes place this weekend, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Öresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö. The event sold out faster than a Usain Bolt sprint and 40,000 runners are now scheduled to take part in the unique half marathon on Sunday June 15th. While the race itself begins at 10am, traffic is expected to be disrupted throughout the morning and afternoon. Vehicles will still be able to cross the bridge throughout the day, but reduced speeds and delayed journey times can be expected between 6am and 5pm. 'You should certainly expect extended travel time over the Öresund Bridge on June 15th,' John Alexander Sahlin, press adviser with bridge operator Øresundsbron, told news wire Ritzau. Traffic will be one-way through the tunnel between 9:30am and 1:30pm, with the direction changing roughly every 15 minutes. A single lane only will be open in both directions between 6am and 9:30am, and between 1:30pm and 5pm. Rail traffic will also be affected by the road closures on the bridge. Øresundsbron advises travelling before or after the event where possible. Advertisement 'If, for instance, you have planned a little trip to Sweden that day, we recommend finding another day,' Sahlin said. Some traffic disruption can also be expected around the starting area of the event in Tårnby south of Copenhagen, and the finishing area at Sibbarp in Malmö. Train stations at Copenhagen Airport and Malmö Hyllie could also see congestion. Participants in the race can use special buses provided by the Bridge Run organisers to travel between the two cities. Race bibs must be shown when you board. Because of the nature of the event – it's mostly on a bridge – the options for spectators are more limited than you might usually find at marathons and other popular running events. But there are places you can go to cheer on your loved ones and other runners, in both Copenhagen and Malmö. On the Danish side, the first two kilometres of the course will be open to spectators. This covers the stretch from the start line at Øresundsparken near Amager Strandpark, with music and entertainment at a 'power point' in the town of Kastrup around the 1-kilometre mark. In Sweden, you'll be able to access around one kilometre of the final stretch leading up to the finish line in Sibbarp. This comes after the runners leave the bridge and the motorway toll area and are running along more regular streets. You will also be able to find entertainment zones in this area and around the finish. Maps showing the areas accessible for spectators can be found on the Bridge Run website.
Express Tribune
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Denmark aims to ban veils in schools, varsities
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday her government planned to extend the ban on full-face Islamic veils in public places and apply it to schools and universities as well. She also said she wanted to see an end to prayer rooms at universities but stopped short of calling for a outright ban. "God has to step aside. You have the right to your faith and to practice your religion but democracy takes precedence," she told Danish news agency Ritzau. In August 2018, Denmark banned the wearing full-face Islamic veils like the burqa and niqab in public places, with offenders subject to a fine. Human rights campaigners and religious groups have criticised the ban as discriminatory and as a violation of both freedom of religion and women's freedom of choice. Supporters argue it enables Muslims of immigrant backgrounds to better integrate into Danish society. Frederiksen alleged that prayer rooms at universities could be used for "social control and oppression". She said her government would start talks with universities to have them removed. "It's not a discussion about whether we want them or not," Frederiksen said. "We are actively taking a position that we don't want them because they are used as a mechanism of oppression against girls and potentially boys as well." Frederiksen said she did not know how widespread the phenomenon was. "For me, it's not just the scale that matters. I'm the prime minister of Denmark. I'm also a woman. And I can't tolerate the oppression of women."
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Democracy takes precedence': Denmark moves to extend veil ban to schools, targets prayer rooms in universities
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Thursday announced plans to broaden Denmark's ban on full-face Islamic veils, such as the burqa and niqab, to include schools and universities, saying democracy must come before religious expression in educational spaces. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'You have the right to your faith and to practice your religion, but democracy takes precedence,' Frederiksen was quoted by Danish news agency Ritzau. She added, 'God has to step aside.' Denmark first introduced a public ban on full-face coverings in 2018. However, the law has so far not applied to educational institutions. Frederiksen said this was a gap in legislation that needed to be closed. 'There are gaps in the legislation that allow Muslim social control and oppression of women at educational institutions in Denmark,' she told domestic media, according to Euronews. The prime minister, who also leads the ruling Social Democrats, said her government intends to begin dialogue with universities and schools to extend the veil ban and to remove prayer rooms from campuses. While she did not call for a blanket legal prohibition on such rooms, Frederiksen made her stance clear, 'We are actively taking a position that we don't want them because they are used as a mechanism of oppression against girls and potentially boys as well,' she was quoted as saying by Ritzau. Frederiksen also said that while she did not know how widespread the use of prayer rooms was, her concern was about the principle. 'I'm the prime minister of Denmark. I'm also a woman. And I can't tolerate the oppression of women,' she said. The announcement comes in response to recommendations made by Denmark's Commission for the Forgotten Women's Struggle, which earlier this year urged action on what it called religious social control in public institutions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In 2022, the same body proposed banning hijabs in primary schools, but the measure was ultimately dropped after sparking backlash and protests. The new proposal has drawn criticism from human rights organisations. As per news AFP, groups such as Amnesty International have long opposed Denmark's public veil ban, calling it discriminatory and a violation of women's freedom of expression and religion. 'All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs,' Amnesty International had said in 2018. Frederiksen defended the new measures as necessary to preserve democratic values within education. 'You're welcome to have your religion,' she said, 'but when you're at school, you're there to be at school and take part in your education,' reported Euronews.
