We take it for granted now, but the opening of the Channel Tunnel was the engineering of a miracle. In an instant, the centres of London and Paris grew closer, as travel times between the two fell to under three hours. Since the link first opened in 1994, an estimated 450 million railway passengers have taken advantage of the connection, transforming business and tourism alike.
And now 30 years on, ground has broken on a tunnel that arguably lays claim to being Europe’s next Channel Tunnel.
The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, as the 18km (11 mile) tunnel is known, is a planned road and rail connection that will create a new link between Germany and Denmark beneath the Baltic Sea. By joining the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland, it will cut what is now a 45-minute ferry journey to a ten-minute drive, or a seven-minute rail crossing.
More importantly though is how it will draw major cities closer together. It will reduce train travel...