The first high-speed railway in Denmark was the

Copenhagen–Ringsted Line The Copenhagen–Ringsted line is a high-speed railway on Zealand, Denmark, connecting Copenhagen via Køge with Ringsted. The line was inaugurated on 31 May 2019, and started operating on 1 June as the first high-speed railway in Denmark. It sup ...

, completed in late 2018 and opened in 2019. Further high-speed lines are currently under planning. As a part of a long-term green plan for transportation in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in December 2008, the government at the time presented a high-speed strategy for the inter-city train traffic, called ''The Hour Model'' (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

: ''Timemodellen''). The strategy contains bringing down the travel time on the three links that connect the four largest cities of Denmark (Copenhagen-Odense-Aarhus-Aalborg) to one hour, thereby decreasing the total travel time between

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

and

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

from approximately 4½ hours to 3 hours. The first part of the Hour Model, the new high-speed line between Copenhagen and Ringsted, opened in 2019. After realization of the first three stages of the Hour Model, it can be expanded to

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

and

Herning Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

published their proposal for fulfilling the Hour Model, as well as an electrification of the main lines. The proposal includes creation of a DKK 27.5 billion fund, ''Togfonden DK'' (Danish: ''Train Fund DK''), based on taxes from oil activities in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. The funding was supported by Enhedslisten and Dansk Folkeparti in a political agreement on 17 September 2013, when the potential outcome where adjusted to DKK 28.5 billion. On 14 January 2014, the parties behind the funding published an agreement for spending the fund, where from DKK 14.8 billion will be spent for realizing the Hour Model.

Completed projects

Øresund Fixed Link

The Øresund Fixed Link has 200 km/h as permitted and used speed (by

X 2000 X 2000, also called SJ X2 or simply as X2, is an electric tilting train operated by SJ in Sweden. It was constructed by Kalmar Verkstad in Kalmar, Sweden (prior to the company being bought by Adtranz in 1996) and launched in 1990 as a ...

only) on the bridge and the Peberholm island, since year 2000. This stretch has Swedish signalling system, considered easier to install and giving higher speed.

Intercity Express

From 2007 to 2017

ICE TD The DBAG Class 605, commonly known as the ICE TD is a high-speed diesel multiple unit (DMU) train, formerly in service with Deutsche Bahn and DSB. History Development Following the successful inauguration of the Intercity-Express system ...

high speed trains extended the German

Intercity Express The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

service into Denmark. Routes served were Berlin-Hamburg-Copenhagen and Berlin-Hamburg-Aarhus. The trains could reach high speed only on the Berlin-Hamburg section, and would continue on regular railway lines into Denmark.

Approved projects

Hour Model

First stage: Copenhagen to Odense

To bring the travel time between

and

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

down to one hour, two works are planned: * A new 250 km/h high-speed rail line between Copenhagen and

Ringsted Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name. Ringsted is situated approximately 60 km from Copenhagen. Tourism and transport Ringsted is one of Denmark's busiest ...

via Køge Nord, which opened in 2019. * Upgrading the existing rail line between Ringsted and

via the

Great Belt Fixed Link The Great Belt Bridge ( da, Storebæltsbroen) or Great Belt fixed link ( da, Storebæltsforbindelsen) is a multi-element fixed link crossing the Great Belt strait between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. It consists of a road suspension ...

to 200 km/h, expected carried out in 2022

Second stage: Aarhus to Aalborg

Like the first stage of the Hour Model, the second one also consists of two works, both in planning: * Upgrading the existing rail line between

and

Hobro Hobro () is an old market and railway town in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It has a population of 12,071 (1 January 2022). The town is situated in a hilly terrain at the head of Mariager Fjord, close to the for ...

to 200 km/h, expected carried out in 2020. * Upgrading and straightening of the existing rail line between Hobro and

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

. Expected to be carried out from 2021. The government plan of 1 March 2013 first mentioned the speed upgrade. DKK 4.9 billion are reserved for second stage and remaining initiatives on first stage.

Third stage: Odense to Aarhus

The central stage of the Hour Model between

and

is considered the most complex and most expensive to complete. Therefore, this stage was not considered realizable before 2020, now 2030. In March 2011, the

Danish Ministry of Transport The Danish Ministry of Transport ( da, Transportministeriet) is the Danish ministry in charge of coordinating and realizing the transport politics of Denmark. The Ministry is headed by a Permanent Secretary. The Ministry of Transport employs a ...

published a strategic analysis of new transport connections between

and Aarhus, including two alternative strategies for fulfilling the Hour Model between Odense and Aarhus: * The "

Little Belt The Little Belt (, ) is a strait between the island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. It is one of the three Danish Straits that drain and connect the Baltic Sea to the Kattegat strait, which drains west to the North Sea and Atlant ...

Vejle Fjord Vejle Fjord is an East Jutland-type fjord in Denmark. It is approximately in length, and it stretches east from the town of Vejle at its head to the towns of Trelde Næs on the south side and Juelsminde on the north side at the mouth. The fjord' ...

" Alignment Alternative, including new high-speed rail lines between Odense and

Middelfart Middelfart is a town in central Denmark, with a population of 16,277 . The town is the municipal seat of Middelfart Municipality on the island of Funen ( da, Fyn). Etymology The name Middelfart, first recorded as "Mæthælfar" in Valdemar's Cen ...

and between

Horsens Horsens () is a city on the east coast of Jutland region of Denmark. It is the seat of the Horsens municipality. The city's population is 61,074 (1 January 2022) and the municipality's population is 94,443 (), making it the 8th largest city in De ...

and Aarhus, as well as bypasses around

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

(requiring new bridge across Little Belt),

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the R ...

(requiring new bridge across Vejle Fjord) and Horsens. * The "Odense - Horsens" Alignment Alternative, a new high-speed rail line between Odense and Aarhus via Horsens, crossing Little Belt between

Bogense Bogense () is a town in central Denmark, located on Funen in Nordfyn municipality, Region of Southern Denmark. The town has a population of 4,059 (1 January 2022). With its half-timbered houses, narrow streets and large marina, it is a popular t ...

and

Juelsminde Juelsminde is a town in Hedensted Municipality, Denmark. Notable people * Gunnar Berg (1909–1989) a Swiss-born Danish composer and leading exponent of serialism. Between 1965 and 1976 he lived at the old school at Lindved between Horsens and ...

, either as a rail-only bridge or as a combined rail and road bridge. The parts which have received the go-ahead so far are: * The Vestfyn Line, a new high-speed line between Odense and Middelfart, connecting to the old Little Belt bridge. Designed for 250 km/h operation, and set to be built from 2023. This new high-speed rail line will also enable journey times between Odense and

of 1 hour. * New line Hovedgård-Hasselager. Designed for 250 km/h operation, and set to open by 2030. Basic plan approved, final alignment pending. The sections which are still pending approval are: * Speed upgrades Fredericia-Vejle Fjord South. * Speed upgrades Vejle Fjord North-Hovedgård. * Speed upgrades Hesselager-Aarhus H * New Vejle Fjord bridge, bypassing the city. The Vejle Fjord bridge is the main reason for approval still pending, as there is strong local opposition to the new trains bypassing the city center.

Journey times

Construction of the Hour Model will reduce the inter-city travel time as presented below:

Femern Belt fixed link

Construction on the

Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link The Fehmarn Belt fixed link ( da, Femern Bælt-forbindelsen, german: Fehmarnbelt-Querung) or Fehmarn Belt tunnel is an under-construction immersed tunnel, which will connect the Danish island of Lolland with the German island of Fehmarn, cros ...

is set to begin primo 2021, to be completed by 2028. Preparatory works have begun at the ground of the future tunnel element factory. The rail part of the tunnel will be designed for 200 km/h operation.

Fehmarn Hinterland projects

The treaty between Denmark and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for construction of the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link includes hinterland projects in both countries. In Denmark, the existing rail line between

and

Rødby Rødby is a town, with a population of 1,983 (1 January 2022),Storstrøm Bridge The Storstrøm Bridge ( da, Storstrømsbroen, ) is a road and railway arch bridge that crosses Storstrømmen between the islands of Falster and Masnedø in Denmark. Together with Masnedsund Bridge it connects Falster and Zealand (''Sjælland''). ...

was originally supposed to remain as single track, however a political agreement confirms funding the design of a new combined rail and road bridge across Storstrømmen. With the opening of the fixed link, hourly

Intercity-Express The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

trains between

and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

will be introduced. The Travel time will be reduced from approx. 4,5 hours to less than 2.5 hours for the fastest trains. The fixed link, as well as the hinterland projects, are expected to be completed by 2028.

Technical aspects

Signalling

Railways in Denmark use a system for

cab signalling Cab signaling is a railway safety system that communicates track status and condition information to the cab, crew compartment or driver's compartment of a locomotive, railcar or multiple unit. The information is continually updated giving an ...

which is unique, but is based on the system in Switzerland. The system allows 180 km/h maximum speed in Denmark (200 in Switzerland). 5 km of the

Øresund Line The Øresund Line ( sv, Öresundsbanan, da, Øresundbanen) is a railway between Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden via the Øresund Bridge. It operates 24/7, and a journey between the two cities takes 35 to 40 minutes. On the Swedish sid ...

closest to the border uses Swedish signalling, and 200 km/h is allowed here (only

SJ X2 X 2000, also called SJ X2 or simply as X2, is an electric tilting train operated by SJ in Sweden. It was constructed by Kalmar Verkstad in Kalmar, Sweden (prior to the company being bought by Adtranz in 1996) and launched in 1990 as a f ...

trains reach this speed here), as the only railway in Denmark. In order to allow modernization of the Danish railway network,

Banedanmark Banedanmark (; previously Banestyrelsen) is a Denmark, Danish company that is responsible for the maintenance and traffic control on all of the state owned Rail transport in Denmark, Danish railway network. History In 1997, Banedanmark came into ...

are rolling out

European Rail Traffic Management System The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is the system of standards for management and interoperation of signalling for railways by the European Union (EU). It is conducted by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and is the o ...

(ERTMS) Level 2 on all national rail lines between 2018 and 2021, a project called the Signalling Programme. The project was tendered out in four contracts: * National rail lines east of

Little Belt Bridge The Little Belt Bridge ( da, Lillebæltsbroen), also known as the Old Little Belt Bridge ( da, Den gamle Lillebæltsbro), is a truss bridge over the Little Belt strait in Denmark. It spans from Snoghøj on the Jutland side to Middelfart on Fune ...

, won by

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...

* National rail lines west of Little Belt Bridge, won by

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...

- BBR consortium *

S-train The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...

signalling system (

CBTC Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accurat ...

), won by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

* On-board equipment, won by Alstom

Electrification

Most of the InterCity train traffic in Denmark are currently operated using the diesel powered

IC3 The IC3 (or class MF) is a Danish-built high-comfort medium/long distance diesel multiple-unit train. The sets were built by ABB Scandia (later purchased by Adtranz, which itself was subsequently acquired by Bombardier Transportation) in Rand ...

stock. Only the main line between

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

(

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

) and

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...

(

) via

Kolding Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, ...

and

Padborg Padborg (german: Pattburg) is a southern Danish border town with a population of 4,311 (1 January 2022)Tinglev Tinglev (german: Tingleff) is a town with a population of 2,731 (1 January 2022)Sønderborg (; german: Sonderburg ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,766 (1 January 2022),Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

are electrified. To replace the IC3 stock, operator

DSB DSB may refer to: Science, technology and devices * DsbA, a bacterial member of the Dsb (disulfide bond) family of enzymes * Double strand break, a break in both DNA strands, part of DNA repair * in telecommunications, double-sideband transmission ...

ordered 83

IC4 The IC4 is an inter-city rail train built by the Italian train manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for the trans-Great Belt routes of Danske Statsbaner (DSB), Denmark's national railway operator. Under DSB's 'Good trains for everyone' plan ('Gode tog til ...

high-speed diesel trains (200 km/h operating speed) at

AnsaldoBreda Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the dea ...

. Electrification of the main lines is appointed the solution to the future InterCity traffic. On 7 February 2012 a large majority in the Danish parliament reached a political agreement on electrifying the main line between Lunderskov and

and produce a feasibility study for electrifying several other main lines. In the Finance Act of Denmark 2013, electrification of the railway between

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a p ...

North and

Næstved Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the four ...

are financed. On 1 March 2013, DKK 8.7 billion was reserved for electrifying the main lines

–

Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The town h ...

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

–

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the R ...

– Struer. The electrification will be completed no later than 2025. In May 2015, an estimated DKK 2.8 billion deal was made.

New electric trainsets

In June 2021, DSB signed a contract with

over the delivery of approximately 150, but at least 100, electric multiple unit trainsets of the type Alstom Coradia Stream. They will be delivered starting 2024 and have a top speed of 200 km/h.

Proposed lines

Beside the Hour Model, additional high-speed rail lines in Denmark are discussed as a part of fixed link projects.

Fixed link across Kattegat

The strategic analysis of new transport connections between

and

included a third alternative for decreasing the travel time between the two cities: a new fixed link across

Kattegat The Kattegat (; sv, Kattegatt ) is a sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Skåne in Sweden ...

. This requires a new high-speed rail line between

and Aarhus via

Kalundborg Kalundborg () is a Danish city with a population of 16,211 (1 January 2022),Samsø Samsø (Anglicized: "Samso" or "Samsoe") is a Denmark, Danish island in the Kattegat off the Jutland Peninsula. Samsø is located in Samsø municipality. The community has 3,724 inhabitants (2017) (January 2010:4,010) called ''Samsings'' and is ...

. This solution will lower the travel time between Copenhagen and Aarhus to one hour, but not affect the travel time between Odense and Aarhus. Since 2008 a new fixed link across Kattegat has been discussed widely in Denmark, as a visionary expansion of the overall infrastructure in Denmark, and several analysis (both official and by lobbyists) have been published.

Second Øresund Fixed Link

As connection to a second fixed link across Øresund between Elsinore and

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

, wanted by the Swedish Government, a new high-speed rail line might be constructed. Most studies are describing a new transport corridor around

(''Ring 5''), while some transport researchers are suggesting a new high-speed rail line between Elsinore and Copenhagen along the current motorway. The development project Scandinavian 8 Million City has proposed a 360 km/h high speed rail line from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

via

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

to Copenhagen, which is supported by the mayors of the three cities. The governments do not support the idea in the short or medium term, as they are assumed to pay for this more than €10 bn project.

Other upgrades

The lines to Esbjerg and to the border at Flensburg are planned to be upgraded to 200 km/h most of their routes before 2030, mainly based on installation of ERTMS.

References

{{High-speed rail