Copenhagen-Hamburg: A delightful trip in the train-ship.

If you live in Copenhagen, a nice weekend trip is going to Hamburg. Probably the easiest way to go is by train. A peaceful four hours and a half trip in a comfortable brand new train. But this journey holds a surprise.

Conpenhagen-Hamburg. This 331 km journey takes 4 hours and a half by train. 

Return tickets from 83€/person.

We thought that the train would go west through bridges that connect the island of Copenhagen (Zealand) and Funen with Jutland peninsula, and then go south crossing the border to Germany. But we took South direction; we left Zealand Island to Lolland Island crossing by bridge. Once arrived to Rodbyhavn town, the whole train went into a big Ferry. The floor of the ferry is prepared with grooved rails, so the train went directly from onshore to the ship. If you are asleep you will not notice that you cross the sea in a train, which is as well in a ferry.

Train inside the Ferry.

The Ferry also carries cars, buses and trucks. When the train arrives, all the other vehicles are already on board, what is necessary to meet the schedule.

Once inside the boat, a gentle woman advice you through the speakers to get out from the train and go for a walk on the boat deck, restaurant, supermarket, etc. We did, but some of the passengers stood in the train, sleeping or reading.

The transit in the Ferry took 60 minutes, but time flies while you explore the Ferry and buy something in the shop. Then people returned to the train, which disembarked in Puttgarden (Germany), and went to Hamburg, previous one stop in Lübeck. We got out in Hamburg, but this train finishes the journey in Berlin.

Great experience in our Hamburg weekend, probably it is the funniest city in the north of Germany. It was a pitty that we went there after the football season, and we could not see the atmosphere at St Pauli’s Stadium, but we definitely had a nice surprise with this sailor train we had never heard about.

Investigating more about this Ferry, I discovered an interesting project to replace the boat connection by a bridge or a tunnel. After discussion, the Danish Parliament voted to construct a tunnel for these reasons: lower visual impact, it does not interference with maritime navigation and birds’ migration, and above all, it can be used in adverse meteorological conditions. This votation was in 2011, but high cost of a 19 km tunnel, the potential loss of jobs both in Rodbyen and Puttgarden, and economic crisis, seems to be the reasons for the actual paralysis of the project.

Let see if both Danish and German government will invest such a huge amount of money in this project after the economic crisis; but in my opinion, it is a charming, surprising and original trip in the way it is nowadays, as the “maritime train”.

More info:

Buy tickets: http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml

Tunnel or bridge? Economic impact. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF6NRWda1Lk

Congratulations! It’s a tunnel! http://www.dw.de/denmark-approves-plan-for-underwater-tunnel-to-germany/a-14810194