Puttgarden ⇄ Rødby · 45 min · about 19 km
The Fehmarnbelt tunnel: what it means for the Puttgarden Rødby ferry
Eighteen kilometres of immersed tunnel, road and rail, from Rødbyhavn to Puttgarden, right beside both ferry ports: that is what is being built under the water you will be sailing across.
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It is not open yet: Femern A/S plans to open it in two stages, road first at the earliest in 2031 and rail later, and until then the ferry is the only way over. We keep to what Femern A/S and Scandlines have actually said, with the date we checked it, and leave the guessing to others.
Where the project stands
Here is where it stood when we checked femern.com on 22 September 2026. The Danish tunnel portal at Rødbyhavn is complete, the first tunnel element was immersed and connected to it in May 2026, two more followed by August 2026, and on the German side more than 90 percent of the concrete work on the portal is done. On 17 May 2026 Femern A/S published a two-stage opening plan: road traffic first, at the earliest in 2031, and rail traffic later.
The opening year has moved several times since the project was approved. The current plan from Femern A/S opens the road tunnel first, at the earliest in 2031, with the railway following later; on the German side the new Fehmarnsund tunnel is not expected before the end of 2032. That is a plan, not a guaranteed date. When Femern A/S changes it, this page gets the update, with the source.
What is being built
The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link is an immersed tunnel: concrete elements are cast in a factory at Rødbyhavn, floated out, sunk into a trench dredged in the seabed and joined up. Inside, road and rail run in separate tubes, so cars, trucks and trains will not share a bore. Femern A/S, the Danish state company that builds and will operate it, quotes about ten minutes by car and seven by train for the crossing.
Both ends are next to the ferry ports, so you get a free look at the works. From the deck leaving Puttgarden or approaching Rødbyhavn you see the work harbours and the cranes of the construction site, which is also where our photos of the Danish coast on this site come from.
What happens to the ferry when the tunnel opens
This is the question most visitors come here with, and the answer has two parts. Scandlines has announced that it intends to keep sailing Puttgarden Rødby after the tunnel opens, with a smaller fleet (three of the four ships are in service today), and is converting two of them to plug-in hybrids for around 31 million euros: the Deutschland in autumn 2025, and the Schleswig-Holstein has been in the shipyard since August 2026. Whether that plan survives the first years of tunnel traffic, nobody can promise, including Scandlines. What is certain is that a tunnel and a ferry serve different trips: the tunnel wins on speed for anyone in a hurry, the ferry keeps the 45 minutes of break, the BorderShop next to the check-in, and a fare for a full car that a tunnel toll may or may not beat. The tunnel toll has not been published.
We will not guess at prices or dates; there is enough of that elsewhere. When the toll and the opening are announced, we compare them with the ferry fare here, with the date of the check.
What it means for your trip now
- The ferry sails as normal: about every 40 minutes by day, 45 minutes across. See the timetable.
- The construction sites are fenced off next to both ports and do not affect check-in or boarding. Expect construction traffic on the roads around Rødbyhavn.
- Fares are unchanged by the project: from 48 euros for a car, checked 28 September 2026, on the prices page.
- If you want to see the works, the Femern A/S visitor centre is at Rødbyhavn, next to the Rødby ferry port.
- Considering the alternative routes anyway? Rostock Gedser and the bridges compared.
Fehmarnbelt tunnel FAQ
When does the Fehmarnbelt tunnel open?
There is no guaranteed date. On 17 May 2026 Femern A/S published a two-stage plan: road traffic first, at the earliest in 2031, and rail later. Earlier plans named 2029. On 22 September 2026 the project status page reported the first tunnel elements in place and the Danish portal complete.
Is the tunnel open yet?
No. The ferry between Puttgarden and Rødby is the only way across the Fehmarnbelt.
Will the Puttgarden Rødby ferry stop?
Not according to Scandlines, which has said it plans to keep sailing the route with a smaller fleet after the tunnel opens. We report changes here as soon as they are announced.
How long will the tunnel crossing take?
Femern A/S quotes about ten minutes by car and seven minutes by train for the 18 km.
What will the tunnel cost to use?
The toll has not been published. We compare it with the ferry fare as soon as it is.
Can I see the construction?
From the ferry you see the work harbours on both coasts. The Femern A/S visitor centre at Rødbyhavn shows the project in detail, and the construction site next to the port has a livestream.
Until the tunnel opens, the ferry is the way across. Check today’s fares and book directly with Scandlines.
Booking online avoids the €15+ handling fee charged when buying your ticket in the manned harbour lane.