4 Traffic Infrastructure

4.1 Transport Infrastructure Improvements
4.2 The public Transport System

Foremost, the Danish and the Swedish governments have invested in the fixed link
across the Oresund, including both rail and motorway connections, and rolling
stocks for rail services. In addition, public investments in other transport infrastruc-
ture projects have been made as illustrated in the table below.

In these years more than DKK 100 billion are being invested in improvements of
transport infrastructure within the region and in order to improve the access to the
region. Investments are made in both road, rail, and air infrastructure, but espe-
cially public transport infrastructure is improved significantly. Details of the invest-
ments are presented below.

Source: A Birth of a Region, the Øresund Committee, 1997

When the fixed link between Copenhagen and Malmo opens in mid-2000, it will take less than 40 minutes to travel from the centre of Copenhagen to the centre of Malmo by train, and about the same by car. Today it takes 1 hour by passenger boat.

After year 2000 the northern part of the region will still be linked by high frequent ferry routes with a transfer time of about 20 minutes.

Copenhagen Airport is located in the centre of the region, very close to the fixed link across the Øresund, only 8 kilometres southeast of the centre of Copenhagen, and approx. 20 km west of Malmo. Copenhagen Airport ranks as no. six in Europe with annual passengers.

In 1998, the International Air Transport Association ranked Copenhagen Airport as one of the best airports in the world among international airports with annual turnover of between 15 mill. and 25 mill.

passengers by. Copenhagen Airport was only surpassed by the airports in Singapore (Changi) and Zürich. Based on interviews with a large number of international passengers, the Copenhagen Airport shopping Centre was rated as the best in the world by the same association in 1998.

Copenhagen Airport is directly linked to the European land transport network by direct highway and rail connections to/from Continental Europe – and in year 2000 the Oresund fixed link will offer direct rail and highway connections between Copenhagen Airport and the rest of Scandinavia. This big advantage in surface connections has

made Copenhagen Airport the international centre of Northern Europe. This is reflected in a huge DKK 6 billion extension project of Copenhagen Airport up to year 2000,which includes an air-rail terminal, three additional piers, an international four-star hotel, and extension of the cargo facilities.

A new cargo apron including new cargo terminals was also constructed in order to accommodate the rapid increase in demand, among other things fuelled by DHL establishing a North European hub in Copenhagen Airport.

The ports of Copenhagen, Helsingborg, and Malmo are the three main ports in the region according to transfer of goods by car and by ship. The port of Trelleborg, located directly on the Baltic Sea, should also be mentioned when including transfer of goods carried by rail, because a major part of the goods by rail to and from Scania are shipped by rail ferries to Germany.

The ports of Helsingborg and Copenhagen have specialised in container traffic, while the port of Malmo mainly handles trailer traffic. Recently, Copenhagen Port and Malmo Port have made a strategic co-operation agreement.

With 208 ships and 15.000 passengers in 1997, the port of Copenhagen is by far the biggest cruise destination in Scandinavia and one of the leading destinations in Europe. The port of Copenhagen has been selected as the best cruise port in Europe in 1997 by the magazine "Dream World Cruise Destinations". Among the 36 nominated cruise destinations world wide, the Port of Copenhagen was elected as no. 3.

The public transport system is well developed in the Oresund Region, especially in
Greater Copenhagen.

Today, the traffic across the sound is served by high frequent ferry routes transferring about 18 million passengers every year. Despite the high traffic volume, an integrated transport system does not exist across the Sound with joint pricing and ticketing systems. However, the public traffic companies in the region have agreed to ensure that an integrated pricing and ticketing system for the whole Region will be put into operation when the fixed link opens in year 2000.

The future traffic system across the Sound will be more effective with the fixed link because no transfer from rail or bus to ferry will be needed in the southern part of the region. The rail traffic is expected to be the backbone of the mass transit over the Sound. Every 20 minutes a train will cross the Sound, connecting Copenhagen, Copenhagen Airport, and Malmo and other major city areas in each direction, as illustrated in the timetable for the Oresund Train in Figure 4.1.

One of the remaining key issues of the discussion for the fixed link is the future price level. Low prices will facilitate the integration of the region. However, that may extend the financial pay back period of the fixed link.

One of the most striking characteristics of the transport pattern in the region today is the importance of the bike as a means of transport. While 30% of the trips in the centre of the Region are made by use of public transport, 14% of the trips are made by bike. Of course the bike is mainly used for shorter trips, which implies that the bike as a means of transport is not that significant in terms of number of person kilometres.

The high extension of the bike as a means of transport in especially Copenhagen is due to a highly developed cycle path network both in the centre of Copenhagen and in the suburbs. Practically all main streets in Greater Copenhagen have separate cycle paths.

The extension of the bike as a common means of transport together with the developed public transport system contribute to a low traffic density in the centre of Copenhagen, even in the rush hours, compared to other European city areas.