FAQ

If you do not find the answer to your question in the FAQ, please contact the Öresund Metro secretariat.

 Why do we need to build an Öresund Metro? 

The opening of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link between Denmark and Germany, scheduled for 2029, will bring with it the prospect of a doubling of the number of freight trains transporting goods across the Öresund Fixed Link between Scandinavia and Central Europe. The increase in trains running across the Öresund Fixed Link and through its fixed landworks will challenge the capacity of the rail network. An Öresund Metro will create a basis for a better mix of more passenger, freight and high-speed trains using the Öresund Fixed Link.

The latest traffic forecasts also show that the number of local and regional train journeys across the Öresund Fixed Link is expected to double by 2035 to 60,000 a day. A combination of rail over the Öresund Fixed Link and an Öresund Metro will allow more people to cross the Öresund, while at the same time freight and long-distance rail traffic can continue to be developed via the Öresund Fixed Link.

Read more about the Öresund Metro.

What will it cost to build an Öresund Metro and how can it be financed?

The cost of building an Öresund Metro between Prags Boulevard in Amager and Malmö Central Station is estimated at approx. DKK 30 billion (including 50% reserve), of which the coast-to-coast section is expected to cost approx. DKK 20 billion.

Various financing models have been explored by PwC. PwC's analysis shows that a state guarantee model is the optimal financing and organisation model. The same model was previously used for the Great Belt Bridge, the Öresund Fixed Link, the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and the Copenhagen Metro.

The sources of finance consist of ticket revenues (around DKK 20 billion) from the Öresund Metro, EU grants (approx. DKK 2 billion) and state co-financing, possibly through proceeds from the Öresund Fixed Link and its landworks once their costs have been recouped (approx. DKK 4 billion from Denmark and approx. DKK 4 billion from Sweden).

Read more about financing of the Öresund Metro.

Why is an Öresund Metro being planned now?

It is a matter of due diligence and planning for the future. Large infrastructure projects like an Öresund Metro usually take 10-15 years to plan and execute. An Öresund Metro is a large national project between Denmark and Sweden – and essential for getting the maximum possible benefits from upcoming infrastructure projects like the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link (2029) and high-speed rail from Stockholm (after 2035).

There is a risk that the Öresund Fixed Link will become a bottleneck because an increased population in the region, more trains and the mix of different train types will put pressure on the bridge’s capacity. An Öresund Metro can relieve the pressure on the Öresund Fixed Link and create greater capacity for regional, high-speed and freight trains. Furthermore, it will increase the potential for a more coherent cross- Öresund labour market thanks to the shorter travel time by metro.

Read more about the Öresund Metro project.

When can an Öresund Metro start operating?

Large infrastructure projects like an Öresund Metro usually take 10-15 years to plan and execute. An Öresund Metro is a large national project between Denmark and Sweden and can be operational by around 2035.

The opening of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, scheduled for 2029, will mean significantly increased traffic in the rail system across the Öresund Fixed Link, which will challenge capacity.

Furthermore, a metro line from Copenhagen Central Station to Prags Boulevard in Amager is a precondition for realising an Öresund Metro because it needs to connect to the metro system in Copenhagen. This metro line was investigated in 2017-2018 by the City of Copenhagen in the KIK2 study, and it forms part of the current investigation of a possible metro service for Lynetteholmen.

Read more about the Agreement in principle on the building of Lynetteholmen.

What will the shorter travel time mean for the Greater Copenhagen region’s common labour market?

An Öresund Metro will increase connectivity and shorten the travel time across the Öresund for work, education and culture. A travel time of approx. 20 minutes between Copenhagen Central and Malmö Central, with departures every 1.5 minutes, will give a bigger, more coherent regional labour market. The shorter travel time will increase the number of people who can reach each other across the Öresund within one hour from 1.3 million to 2.3 million. Furthermore, the number of workplaces within one hour’s travel of the Öresund will increase from 0.8 million to 1.3 million by 2035.

An Öresund Metro is therefore not just a link between Copenhagen and Malmö. It will increase regional mobility and provide a better basis for matching up workers and companies throughout the Greater Copenhagen region.

Read more about travel time and the labour market.

How will an Öresund Metro be built and how will it connect up in Copenhagen and Malmö?

An Öresund Metro is a bored tunnel with two tracks from coast to coast in the limestone layer under the Öresund.

In Copenhagen, it will connect to a metro line from Copenhagen Central Station to Prags Boulevard, which may be part of a future Harbour Line. This means that large areas of central Copenhagen, including Central Station, Kongens Nytorv, Østerport and City Hall Square, will be reachable. From here, there will be links onward via S-train, regional train and bus.

In Malmö, there will be one or two stations in Västra Hamnen before reaching Malmö Central Station. From here, there will be links onward via train and bus. Investigations are currently taking place into how the metro can be developed with more stations in Malmö as part of Malmö’s future public transport system.

How will an Öresund Metro impact on the environment?

An Öresund Metro will be constructed using so-called TBM technology. This means boring a tunnel in the limestone layer under the Öresund. Both Denmark and Sweden have numerous positive experiences of projects using tunnel boring machinery, including the Great Belt, the Copenhagen Metro, the Öresund Fixed Link and the City Tunnel in Malmö.

An environmental impact assessment concludes that the animal life in the sea and the fauna on the seabed will not be disrupted during the construction period. Surplus soil from the bored tunnel can be reused for new urban development in the two cities.

An Öresund Metro will relieve the pressure on the Öresund Fixed Link and create capacity for more and other forms of long-distance rail traffic using the Öresund Fixed Link. This will mean capacity for more freight, high-speed and regional trains.

More rail freight transport will ensure more green, climate-friendly freight traffic between Scandinavia and Central Europe. This will mean fewer lorries, and thus less congestion on the motorways running through Denmark and Sweden. High-speed rail can connect Stockholm, Copenhagen and Hamburg, linking up the cities in a green, climate-friendly way.

An Öresund Metro will thus contribute to the realisation of the EU Commission’s objective of more green freight transport and green, climate-friendly links between cities in Europe.

How will an Öresund Metro increase capacity for rail freight and future high-speed rail?

The opening of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link in 2029 will bring with it a risk of the Öresund Fixed Link becoming a bottleneck because an increased population in the region, more trains and the mix of different train types will put pressure on the bridge’s capacity. An Öresund Metro will be able to relieve the Öresund Fixed Link of a large number of public transport journeys, thereby creating capacity for more or different types of rail traffic to use the bridge. This will mean capacity for more freight, high-speed and regional trains.

Why a metro link rather than an ordinary rail link?

An Öresund Metro is a more cost-effective solution than an S-train link or an ordinary rail link. The reason for this is that metro tunnels and stations are cheaper to build and run than ordinary rail tunnels. Furthermore, the frequency of trains can be increased significantly. The assessment is based on Danish experiences of building and running metro tunnels with great success over many years. An Öresund Metro will be linked to the metro system in Copenhagen.

The Öresund Metro, with a frequency of approx. 1.5 minutes, is a good alternative for the many commuters currently travelling by train and for future new passengers. Furthermore, the frequency can be adjusted to actual traffic need because an Öresund Metro will be driverless.

Are an Öresund Metro between Copenhagen and Malmö and a Helsingborg-Helsingør link competing projects?

No. An Öresund Metro between Copenhagen and Malmö and a Helsingborg-Helsingør link are not competing with each other. The two links solve different problems and have different benefits. Both projects have been prioritised in Greater Copenhagen’s common Traffic Charter.

Read more about the Öresund Metro’s benefits.