The international traffic and infrastructure of the Öresund region
In 2005 an estimated 80 million passenger trips were made between the Öresund region and the surrounding regions in Denmark and Sweden and the rest of the world. 57 percent of all these trips were made by car, while 25 percent of the trips were made by plane.
The choice of transport mode among travellers depends on the length of the trip. Trips by car comprised 62 percent of all trips to the rest of Sweden, Norway, Finland and the rest of Denmark, but only 25 percent of all trips to and from the rest of Europe. In 2005 travel by train comprised 21 percent of all trips to the rest of Sweden, Norway, Finland and the rest of Denmark, but only played a marginal role in passenger transport to and from the rest of Europe. Air transport to and from the rest of Europe was the dominating mode of transport and accounted for more than 70 percent of the trips.
The most important entry to and from the Öresund region for inter-regional car traffic is the Great Belt Bridge, followed by the three major roads (E6, E22 and E4) that connect Skåne with the rest of Sweden. These entry points are followed by the ferry connection Rödby-Puttgarden which is the most important ferry route for passenger traffic to and from the region.
In 2005 air travel accounted for 25 percent of all trips to and from the region, and most of these trips were to and from Copenhagen’s Kastrup airport. Most of the trips were to and from the rest of Europe, and the proportion of air traffic was nearly 100 percent for the UK and southern Europe, less than 40 percent for Germany and less than 20 percent for the rest of the Nordic countries (4).
- Passenger trips to and from the Öresund region by means of transport 2005
Source: IBU 2/Tetraplan, 2009a
Up until 2020, it is estimated that the number of personal trips to and from the Öresund region will increase by about 10 percent. The smallest increase (7-8 percent) is expected to occur for trips between the region and the rest of Denmark and the rest of Sweden, respectively. The largest increase is expected to occur between the Öresund region and southern Europe, with a predicted rise of about 15 percent (ibid).
Concerning transport of goods, in 2005 about 86 million tons of goods were transported annually between the Öresund region and the surrounding regions. About half of this transport went to the area north of the Öresund region, that is, the rest of Sweden, Norway and Finland. 50 percent of the goods to and from the region were transported by truck in 2005; at the same time, transport by sea comprised 36 percent. A large part of the transport of goods between Sweden and Norway to the continent goes through the Öresund region. This probably concerns about 25 million tons/year by road and railway, which 75 percent is transported by truck (5).
As we see in the figure below, most of the transport by truck through the Öresund region is by ferry connections between Germany/Poland in southern Skåne (especially via Trelleborg). This is the cheapest route for most transport; ferry travel is also a good way for the drivers to take their breaks as are required by law. A somewhat smaller proportion drive via Zealand and use the ferries across the Fehmarn belt, while only a small part of the transit traffic drives through Zealand to Western Denmark (6).
- Amount of goods in transit traffic through the Öresund region by truck via selected harbours and crossings in 2003
Source: IBU 2/Tetraplan, 2009b
However, truck routes are very price sensitive and even small changes in ferry and bridge prices can be influential when choosing a transport route. The future opening of the fixed Fehmarn Belt link can be significant for the future choice of routes of transit traffic through the region if total costs for the transport company become more competitive by choosing this route.
Transport of goods by rail is concentrated to the corridors from the Great Belt via the Öresund link to Älmhult (Southern mainline) and from Trelleborg to Malmö and further up the Swedish west coast towards Halland. Transport by sea also plays an important role in the transport of goods to and from the region. Nearly 67 million tons of goods were handled in the 10 largest harbours of the region in 2008, of which 39 million tons of goods were shipped on ro-ro vessels (that is, ships where trucks and trailers can be rolled on and off without the use of cranes or similar). Seen from the volumes of goods, the most important harbours in the region are Kalundborg, Trelleborg and Malmö8.
In Sweden the railway is much more competitive than in Denmark and therefore transport customers choose railway solutions to a greater extent in Sweden. A compilation of the market share for railway transport for the period 1996 - 2007 shows that the market share for freight transport via railway comprised 35 - 40 percent of total freight transport in Sweden, while in Denmark the figure was less than 10 percent during the same period. The planned expansion of railways in Denmark and Sweden will probably increase competitiveness for railways, but in Denmark conditions at terminals need improvement if rail transport is to be more attractive for transport customers.
An analysis of transit traffic through the Öresund region has shown that there is potential in expanding the role of the Öresund region as a centre for intelligent logistics, where products are further processed and the pure transit flows can be transformed to a more regional concept of valuable logistics. However, this sort of development is very much in the hands of the private actors - buyers of transport services, forwarding agents and transport companies (ibid).
To facilitate the international traffic of passengers and goods to and from the Öresund region, there is a relatively well built network of roads and railway lines in the region. Nevertheless, increasing traffic on roads as well as on railways has in recent years resulted in capacity problems on many of the roads and railway lines on Zealand and in Skåne. The capacity problem on roads is concentrated to the central parts of the Öresund region around Copenhagen and Malmö. In recent years congestion has increased considerably and is expected to continue until 2020, even though the road network is still being developed (7).
In line with the Danish - German traffic agreement of 2009 concerning a fixed link across the Fehmarn Belt in 2018, we can assume that the accessibility between the Öresund region and the continent will improve considerably up until 2020. However, the result of this investment is closely connected to how many investments in railways and roads on the Danish and German sides are realized in connection with the fixed link. The railway network on the Danish side is today comprised of a number single track stretches between Ringsted and Rødby. When the fixed Fehmarn Belt link is established, the main part of this stretch will be expanded to a double track line. The railways and roads on the German stretch Puttgarden-Lübeck also consists of single track, non-electrified railway and a two-lane country road. Significant improvements in accessibility between the Öresund region and the continent via the Fehmarn Belt are thus dependent on considerable investments for both railway and road infrastructure on both sides of the Fehmarn Belt.
When comparing the railway network in Denmark and Sweden, there are indications that the Swedish railway network generally has a higher standard than the Danish one, both within and outside the Öresund region. The Swedish trains can reach higher speeds and thus reduce travel time. Still, there is a capacity problem in the railway network in both Skåne and Zealand, and it is concentrated to the central parts of the region around Copenhagen and Malmö. In an attempt to solve these capacity problems, construction will now start on Zealand to build a new electrified railway line double tracks between Copenhagen and Ringsted via Køge by 2020; meanwhile in Malmö the city tunnel will soon be opened.
(4) IBU 2/Tetraplan, 2009a
(5) IBU 2/Tetraplan, 2009b
(6) IBU 2/Tetraplan, 2009b
(7) IBU 2/COWI, 2009b
