User:SpecialistNiklas/Öresundsförbindelsen

´The Öresund connection (Danish: Øresundsforbindelsen) or Öresundsbron is a 15.9 km long fixed connection over and under the Öresund, between Malmö (Lernacken, Limhamn-Bunkeflo) and Copenhagen (Kastrup, Amager) which opened on 1 July 2000.

The connection consists of a 7.8 km long bridge section with access roads; Öresundsbron. The approximately 4 km closest to Denmark consists of a tunnel, as the span on a high bridge had been a danger to air traffic at Kastrup Airport. As a transition from bridge to tunnel, the island of Pepparholm was created with a length of about 4 km.

The connection consists of a motorway and a double-track railway. The motorway forms part of the E20 and the railway part of the Öresund line. The average traffic volume in 2014 was approximately 20,000 vehicles and 33,000 train passengers per day. Compared to before the bridge was built, the traffic volume has increased fivefold.

History
Over the years, there have been several proposals for a fixed link across the strait. One of the most radical was to dam the strait and then the bilge pump to create land for development. Ideas for building a bridge between Sweden and Denmark already existed during the second half of the 19th century. In 1954, the first Öresund delegation was appointed to investigate the conditions for a bridge connection. In its final report in 1962, the delegation proposed a 53-meter-high reinforced concrete bridge. The cost was estimated at 600 million SEK and was financed by a bridge fee of 15 SEK.

A new Öresund delegation was formed in 1999. During the planning of the Öresund connection between the location of Helsingborg – Helsingör and Malmö – Copenhagen (Limhamn – Amager). However, a major advantage was seen in prioritizing the connection between the larger central cities of Copenhagen and Malmö. Against Helsingborg – Helsingör, there may also have been difficulties in resolving through traffic in the municipalities on the Danish side, and that the tunnel, despite the proximity of the cities, still had to belong, depending on the location of the buildings and the depth of the strait, 41 m, also with geological difficulties. However, a Helsingborg-Helsingörs tunnel is still included in the infrastructure planning. The Öresund connection cost just over 20 billion SEK. In addition, there will be connections on land for around 10 billion SEK by the year 2000, and later 10 billion SEK for the City Tunnel. Construction began on October 18, 1995. The EU has contributed 1.4 billion to the bridge and the land connections built until the year 2000. The rest was paid with loans taken out by the bridge company with a state guarantee. The loans will be financed with the bridge fees.

Mainly in Denmark and Sweden, there was an interest in adding a cycle path at the cost of 210 million (estimated by DTU) during the construction. Still, the bridge company's Swedish department said no. 311 / 5000

The connection was inaugurated on July 1, 2000, by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In connection with the inauguration, a running competition called Broloppet was also held and earlier that summer, private individuals had also had the chance to walk across the bridge. It is believed that the bridge will be paid for by 2030.

The bridge was a recurring element in Swedish political debate for decades. Many debaters opposed the construction for environmental reasons. The consequence of the bridge was considered "that road transport continues to increase rapidly", as the Nature Conservation Association's Secretary-General Anders Wijkman wrote in 1990. For the Center Party, bridge resistance was long a central issue. Party leader Olof Johansson resigned from Carl Bildt's government in protest against the bridge. Since the connection was built, however, criticism has almost ceased.

Infrastructure
The Öresund connection includes a 7.8 km long bridge (Öresundsbron), a 4.1 km long artificial island (Pepparholm) and a 4.1 km long tunnel (Drogdentunneln). The bridge connects Pepparholm with the Swedish mainland, while the tunnel connects Pepparholm with the Danish mainland. The entire connection is 15.9 km long.

Öresundsbridge


The Öresund Bridge consists of three parts and is 7,845 m long, of which 5.35 km is on the Swedish side. The high bridge consists of a 1,092 m long cable-stayed bridge, whose pylons are 203.5 m high. The high bridge has a sail-free height of 57 m over the Flintrännan fairway. To the east, the high bridge is connected to Lernacken, south of Malmö, through a 3,739 m long access bridge. To the west, the high bridge is connected to Pepparholm through a 3,014 m long access bridge.

The bridge consists of two levels, with the motorway on the upper level and the railway on the lower. To the east of the bridge, the motorway halves separate, and the railway appears between the lanes. The railway runs between the lanes past the toll station and a few more km to the east, connecting to the City Tunnel. Unlike, for example, the Golden Gate Bridge, there is no possibility for cyclists and pedestrians to use the bridge.

The bridge's official name (Øresundsbron) combines the Swedish Öresundsbron and the Danish Øresundsbroen. In most contexts, however, either the Swedish or the Danish name is used.

Pepparholm
The western part of the Öresund Bridge connects to Pepparholm, a 4,055 m long artificial island, just south of Saltholm on the Danish side. The island was built of dredged material from the bottom of the Sound and other places. Large stones came from a rock chamber construction in Kungshamn, Bohuslän, to edge the island together with local Scanian stone from Dalby.

At Pepparholm, the railway turns out of the motorway and runs parallel to the motorway down into the Drogden tunnel. There is a cruise station where the trains can be switched between the two tracks on the island. Exits connect the highway with roads intended for maintenance work on the island. In addition, there is a helicopter pad on the island intended for emergencies, for example, in the event of a serious traffic accident.

Pepparholm is a nature reserve, and visits from the public are generally not allowed off the motorway. The island has been allowed to develop its own nature without active human intervention. Several rare species have established themselves on the island.

Drogdentunnel
From Pepparholm, the motorway and railway go down under the fairway Drogdenrännan through the 4,050 m long Drogden tunnel to the Danish mainland. The tunnel comes up on Amager at Kastrup Airport.

The main reason the connection continues underwater, and not on a bridge above, is that a bridge would pose a risk to air traffic to and from Kastrup Airport.

The middle part of the tunnel consists of an immersed tunnel that is 3,510 m long. At the descent to the tunnel, the railway folds in and lies right next to the motorway. The tunnel consists of four separate pipes that lie horizontally next to each other. Two of them are intended for the motorway, and two are intended for the respective tracks. For safety reasons, freight trains that carry dangerous goods must not be in the same tunnel tube at the same time as other trains, which reduces capacity somewhat.

Öresundsrailway
The Öresund line is a double-track railway with a normal (1435 mm) track extending over the Öresund connection. The line is operated mainly by Öresund trains, but also by freight and long-distance trains. Since different signalling, control and electrical systems are used on Danish and Swedish railways, the trains running over the connection must be adapted for dual systems. Swedish railways use, for example, 15 kV 16⅔ Hz voltage, while Danish railways use 25 kV 50 Hz. The boundary between the electrical systems is close to the eastern bridgehead at Lernacken in Sweden, while the boundary between the signal and control systems is at Pepparholm. In contrast to the rest of Sweden, right-hand traffic is applied to the entire Öresund line as in Denmark. Switching between left- and right-hand traffic has been taking place since 2009 at a tracking portal just south of Burlövs station, where northbound and southbound trains cross each other level.

The bridge's slope is 1.56 per cent, which is clearly more than what is sought for freight trains, especially on a high-traffic line such as the Öresund line, where fewer but heavier freight trains are desirable. The Danish EC locomotives are six-axis to pull heavy freight trains across the Sound and the Great Belt Bridge. Other locomotives, such as BR185, can also carry freight trains, but the wagon weight is limited to 1800 tonnes.

Land Connections
Land connections connect the Öresund connection to Swedish and Danish roads and railways, respectively. The motorway connects to Yttre Ringvägen in Malmö and Öresundsmotorvägen in Copenhagen. The Öresund Line connects to the City Tunnel and the Continental Line on the Swedish side and Copenhagen Central Station on the Danish side.

On the Swedish side, the City Tunnel was not completed until the end of 2010, more than ten years after the inauguration of the Öresund connection. Before that, all trains had to run on the Continental Line around Malmö. In Malmö, the trains going further north had to turn because the station was a sack station. Through the City Tunnel, trains can travel directly between the Öresund connection and Malmö Central Station through a tunnel under the city.

There is a railway station right at Kastrup Airport just west of the Drogden tunnel's tunnel mouth on the Danish side. There are also connecting tracks to a maintenance workshop. A separate freight track allows freight trains to pass without passing the platforms. However, crossing freight trains reduce capacity, and further measures are required within the foreseeable future to increase the capacity of the railway around Kastrup Airport.

Traffic
The traffic over the Öresund connection consists of both road and train traffic. The volume of traffic increased sharply during the first year of the connection and saturated around 2008. Since then, traffic has remained largely stable, although a slight decrease occurred around 2010 due to the deteriorating economic situation.

Roadtraffic
Road traffic over the connection consists mainly of cars and vans, and trucks. A small part of the traffic consists of buses and motorcycles. Approximately seven million vehicles pass the connection each year, of which about 90 per cent are passenger cars. During most of the year, around half a million vehicles pass per month, while traffic during the summer amounts to more than 800,000 vehicles per month.

Metro
The train traffic across the connection consists mainly of Öresund trains, which are special regional trains purchased to operate on both the Danish and Swedish sides of the strait. On the Danish side, the Öresund trains serve Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen and Elsinore, among other places. On the Swedish side, the Öresund trains serve most of the larger towns in Skåne, including Malmö, Lund, Helsingborg, Hässleholm and Kristianstad, as well as all major towns along the routes to Gothenburg, Växjö, Kalmar and Karlskrona.

The Öresund trains run regularly throughout the day and transport many commuters during the morning and evening. For most of the day, the trains run every twenty minutes; for a couple of hours at night, the trains instead run for hours and every ten minutes during rush hour traffic.

In addition to the Öresund trains, the Öresund connection is also served by long-distance trains in the form of, for example, X 2000 between Copenhagen and Stockholm. A significant number of freight trains also operate on the connection.

Financing and ownership
The construction of the Öresund connection was financed through loans, which are repaid through tolls and fees for train operators. By 2040, the entire connection must be repaid. However, it is not intended that the bridge will be toll-free then, but the revenue will finance other road and railway projects.

The connection is owned by the Öresund Bridge Consortium, which is responsible for operation and maintenance. The consortium is owned in equal parts by the Swedish state through Svedab (Swedish-Danish Bridge Connection Svedab Aktiebolag) and the Danish state through A / S Øresund. The Öresund Bridge Consortium's debt in 2014 was SEK 25 billion, which is approximately the same as the construction cost since the profit was distributed to the owners to repay connections on land. After 2014, the debt has to some extent, been repaid so that it was 19.8 billion in 2019

In addition to owning half the consortium, Svedab also owns the Swedish land connections. This includes the Outer Ring Road between the Petersburg and Lernacken junctions and the Öresund line between Fosieby and Lernacken. In addition, Svedab, together with the Swedish Transport Administration, owns the Continental Line between Fosieby and Stockholmsvägen. Svedab is responsible for operating and maintaining the Swedish land connections and was originally managed by the Swedish Road Administration and the Swedish National Rail Administration. Since 2008, Svedab is directly under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

A / S Øresund is owned by Sund & Bælt Holding A / S, a Danish state-owned limited company. Sund & Bælt Holding also includes the ownership of the Great Belt Bridge and the planned Fehmarn Belt connection. All vehicles driving over the Öresund connection must pay a toll. This takes place on the Swedish side of the connection, regardless of direction. The fees are used for operation and maintenance and the repayment of the loans that financed the connection.

Border surveillance
The border between Denmark and Sweden runs approximately 900 m west of the western pylon on the Öresund Bridge, which is approximately 100 m east of the national border signs mounted on the nearest existing poles.

Sweden
As the connection constitutes Sweden's national border, the Swedish Customs checks vehicles directly after the toll booth at Lernacken. It is also Sweden's busiest border connection. The Swedish Customs carries out checks in case of suspected smuggling. The Öresund Bridge is the Swedish stronghold in Europe, where most drug seizures are made. Controls in the Öresund train (towards Sweden) prevent drugs and other illicit goods from entering Sweden.

During the autumn of 2015, border controls were introduced for passengers travelling to Sweden. Border controls were first introduced at Hyllie, the first Swedish railway station, and the customs station at Lernacken. Then, in January 2016, Swedish legislation via carrier liability also introduced border control on the Danish side before boarding trains and buses. The reason for these controls was the migration crisis in Europe.

Denmark
The Danish customs do not carry out checks because they only have the task of collecting tax on goods from abroad and that alcohol in Denmark is cheaper than in Sweden. It is the task of the Danish police to investigate drug smuggling. However, they check if they receive tips about, for example, smuggling.

In 2011, the Danish customs began to carry out random customs checks at the border. The Öresund connection takes place on the Swedish side.

As a result of the coronavirus outbreak in 2019–2021, Denmark introduced border controls at the Öresund Bridge for travel into the country on 14 March 2020. The controls are initially expected to last until 13 April 2020. Only Danish citizens and other persons with good reasons to enter the country (e.g. due to residence or work) can pass the border controls.

Cross-border subsequent
Cross-border enforcement by police authorities in each country is permitted under Article 41 of the Schengen Convention. A special agreement between Sweden and Denmark has also been concluded. This means that the police of both countries can follow cars and trains and carry out police work on the entire Öresund connection.

Border controls in connection with the migration crisis
In connection with the migration crisis in Europe in 2015, the government introduced passport controls on the Swedish side for travellers across the Öresund connection with the support of an EU regulation that gives the Member States the right to introduce temporary border controls in exceptional circumstances. Everyone can apply for asylum well at the Swedish border, but they now had the opportunity to check and register the identity of those who entered Sweden. Shortly afterwards, the government demanded that transport companies introduce identity checks before boarding on the Danish side. The responsibility for denying persons without a valid right to enter Sweden was thus placed on the transport companies. Travellers between Denmark and Sweden had to change trains to go through an ID check at Kastrup. Those inspections were abolished in May 2017.

Future
There are no fixed timed plans for an extension of the Öresund connection or a new supplementary connection. However, there are several different proposals for a new complementary connection.


 * A train tunnel Helsingborg – Helsingör (HH tunnel) has been proposed. The municipality of Helsingborg has made an investigation with cost calculation, and they have reserved land etc. The proposal includes a double-track passenger train tunnel and a single-track freight train tunnel. A new Helsingör-Copenhagen railway would be required. A Copenhagen – Malmö metro tunnel has been proposed, an extension of the Copenhagen metro. An investigation has been made on the initiative of the City of Copenhagen and the City of Malmö, which shows that it should be possible to motivate in the slightly longer term. A Landskrona-Copenhagen tunnel has been highlighted as an alternative in an investigation. Landskrona is roughly in line with Copenhagen's northern suburbs. A tunnel could hypothetically be drawn diagonally across the strait and connect to the Danish railway network in the northern parts of the Danish capital. The proposal is based on the route being the closest road to Copenhagen from the parts of Sweden north of Malmö because it avoids Elsinore and Malmö. It is estimated that the travel time would be shortened by about ten minutes for travellers from Lund.  A new Öresund connection was required in 2010 by, e.g. the chairman of the municipal board in Malmö and the Social Democrats' spokesperson on infrastructure issues  A freight train tunnel between Pepparholm and Hvidovre west of the island of Amager, where Kastrup is located, has been proposed by Denmark's then Minister of Transport Henrik Dam Kristensen. There are safety requirements that prohibit passenger trains simultaneously as a freight train with dangerous goods is in the same tunnel tube. With the current signalling system, the Kastrup-Ørestad railway line is close to the maximum limit for its capacity.

Image on Swedish banknote
The Öresund connection is depicted on Swedish banknotes. It adorns the Swedish SEK 500 banknote, which was issued by the Riksbank in October 2016.

Popular Culture
The Swedish-Danish crime series The Bridge is based on a body found on the borderline in the middle of the bridge.

Also view
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 * Fehmarn Bält-förbindelsen
 * Lilla Bältbron
 * Stora Bältbron
 * Öresundsregionen