THE ÖRESUND BRIDGE NOW OPEN FOR CARS AND TRAINS

July 1 was a big day for Denmark and Sweden. This was the day when the Oresund Bridge was officially opened with pomp and ceremony by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Among other dignitaries present were Prime Minister Göran Persson of Sweden and Poul Nyrup Rasmussen of Denmark.

The opening ceremony took place .at Lernacken on the Swedish side. Speeches by the heads of state and the prime ministers of Denmark and Sweden were followed by music, dancing and circus acts.

There was much international interest in this historical day. 1300 journalists from all over the world covered the event and 800 million people were able to follow it on live television.

The opening festivities actually started on the weekend of June 9 when a number of events were organized for the general public on both sides. There were concerts, performances, food and drink. Families were allowed to bike and just enjoy the view on the first day. The second day was designated for walkers, and later in-line skaters. On the final day there was the world's biggest half Marathon with about 80 000 participants who ran from Kastrup to Ribergsborgsstrand in Malmö.
The bridge was opened to traffic at 11 pm on July 1 shortly after the opening ceremonies were completed. Traffic flowed without any hitches and the expected lineups never materialized. Some German tourists had been waiting in line for more than 12 hours to be the first to cross the bridge.
The Oresund trains began traffic on Sunday, July 2, 2000 from Malmö C at 06.09 and from Copenhagen H at 06.16. The Swedish X 2000 trains will be put into traffic between Stockholm and Copenhagen on August 14. The travel time will be five hours.

The ten-mile railway and motorway link between Copenhagen and Malmö, called the Oresund Bridge, is actually a combined bridge and tunnel link. The bridge is the world's strongest cable stay bridge, built to carry the combined weight of a motorway and a dual-track railway. The tunnel is the world's largest immersed tunnel in terms of volume, with four parallel tunnel tubes.

The Oresund Bridge is set to become the backbone of the Oresund Region, a major European cross-border combination of 3.5 million inhabitants. With the synergy effect created by the improved infrastructure the Oresund Region is poised to become a prospering center for trade, science, industry and culture. The region from Roskilde to Tomelilla is being profiled as a "Medicon Valley". With its 500 companies with 30 000 employees of whom 4 000 are researchers, 26 hospitals, 11 universities and five science centers, the region should be attractive for foreign companies to invest in.

There is general consensus that it takes more than a bridge made of steel and concrete to make Danes and Swedes feel connected. To this end a new biennial festival called Kulturbro 2000 will take place this fall with an ambition to make the cultural institutions in Skåne and Sjaelland cooperate and be a platform for a regional identity.

Apart from this, the number of Danes travelling to Sweden is expected to increase dramatically. Before the bridge was in place about 200 000 Danes crossed the Sound every year to shop. That number is expected to grow to 900 000 and the Swedish province of Skåne is expected to see an increase in business of about SEK 20 billion. Danes can save between 20 -and 30 percent on furniture, television sets, toys and shoes in Sweden.

Swedes, in turn, can save by buying wine, beer and cheese in Denmark. The saving on beer is a full 65 percent.

In a recent poll five percent of Danes interviewed would consider moving to Sweden. There was a slightly higher percentage of Swedes willing to move over the Sound A full 30 percent of Swedes in the Oresund region would consider working or going to school in Denmark. There is no corresponding interest among Danes in this area, and this is probably because income is generally higher in their country. And the region of Skåne has a higher rate of unemployment than Greater Copenhagen.

About 31 percent of all Swedes over the age of 18, and 26 percent of Danes plan to cross the bridge this summer. Line-ups are to be expected. All tolls for the bridge are paid on the Swedish side. Frequent users can get a "Brobizz" card that allows for a 60 percent discount. The prognosis for traffic is 11 800 cars during a 24-hour period.

The Oresund Bridge has cost a total of USD 2 billion. The financing has been arranged through a loan that will be paid off with income from the tolls. Subsidies from the EU have contributed to a number of construction improvements and towards the completion of the project on time.

The safety and design improvements include road lighting along the entire length of the link, and added fire prevention measures in the tunnel.

Scandinavian Press, Issue 3, 2000