Good Ezines

Denmark is an important centre for international freight and it is therefore not surprising that it is home to a remarkable feat of engineering that has been a significant boost to the efficiency of freight forwarding between Denmark and Sweden. The Oresund Bridge is the longest combined rail and road bridge in Europe. The bridge combines two track railway and a four lane road bridge-tunnel across the Oresund strait. The bridge connects the two main cities in the area – Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmo in Sweden. The international route E30 runs across the bridge and through the tunnel. This is clearly a huge benefit for freight companies, which can now make the crossing faster then previously.

The Oresund Bridge was designed by the Danish architects, Dissing and Weitling and they designed it with a clear eye on the impact it would have for shipping companies. As the crossing actually includes a bridge, a tunnel and an island, it is sometimes more accurately called the Oresund Link or Oresund Connection, rather than the Oresund Bridge.

The structure weighs 82,000 tonnes and supports the two railway tracks beneath four road lanes in a horizontal girder, supported every 140 metres by concrete piers. The 490 metre cable-stayed main span is the longest of the type in the world. The two pairs of free standing cable supporting towers are 204 metres, allowing shipping 57 metres of headroom to pass underneath. Even so, many a shipping company prefers its ships to pass through the Drogden Strait above the Drogden Tunnel instead.

Although it crosses the border between Denmark and Sweden, an agreement called the Schengen Agreement means that there are no passport controls. This is a big benefit for freight companies. There are often customs checks at the toll booths in Sweden for those entering Sweden but not for those entering Denmark, again improving the efficiency of freight forwarding.

Construction of the Oresund Bridge started in 1995 and was completed in 1999. At first, the crossing was not used as much as expected, most likely due to the high cost of the tolls. However, traffic increased markedly in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, nearly 25 million people travelled over the bridge.

The Drogden Tunnel connects the artificial island of Peberholm and Kastrup, the nearest part of Denmark. The 4050 metre long tunnel includes a 3510 metre undersea tunnel and 270 metre entry tunnels at each end. The tube tunnel is made from twenty concrete segments, which at 55,000 tonnes each are the biggest prefabricated concrete segments in the world. The reason for building a tunnel instead of just another section of bridge is to avoid obstructing aircraft from Copenhagen Airport and to provide a clear section where shipping can pass. Again, the requirements of the freight services industry have been fully taken into account in the way the bridge has been designed.

Passenger trains operate every twenty minutes over the crossing during the day and once an hour in the night in both directions, as well as a considerable number of freight trains to support the freight transport industry. The rail section is in double track standard gauge and capable of high speeds up to 200 km/h, making freight transport streamlined and fast.

The cost of the Oresund bridge has been calculated at DKK 30 billion, with the cost of the bridge paid back by 2035. Sweden has also started building the Malmo City Tunnel as a new rail connection to the bridge, which will be ready in 2011.

The Oresund Bridge is already a huge boost to the efficiency of freight transport to and from Denmark and this further development will increase its importance still further.

Stephen Willis is Managing Director of RW Freight Services a UK based freight transport company, established in 1971 and operating worldwide freight forwarding services including specialist freight services to and from Denmark