A majority of the Danish Parliament has agreed to launch phase one of Togfonden DK (the Train Foundation DK – a political agreement to reserve DKK 28.5 billion for railway infrastructure improvements): a 35-kilometre high-speed line across the western part of the island of Funen. GPA headed the landscape assessments for the different alignments to be included in the EIA report and developed the concept design for integrating the line into the landscape.

A prerequisite of the project was to place the line as closely as possible to the existing motorway. Such a requirement made huge demands on integrating the alignment into the landscape, as the close proximity of two traffic arteries would make for complicated junctions around motorway interchanges, intersecting local roads, the railway line and high-voltage lines.

GPA recommended the northernmost alignment which was regarded as the best proposal among those submitted. Our studies show that this alignment is the optimum location in terms of ensuring that the line and the motorway will come together as an entity, a transport corridor, and that we achieve visual calm in the interplay between the two modes of transport and the surrounding landscape. In addition, the northernmost alignment ensures the best possible visual and spatial connections across the track installations. It is also considered to be the most sympathetic solution for significant landscape characteristics, cultural heritage sites and the residential areas in West Funen.

The assignment is done in collaboration with COWI and GHB.

Map illustration: Gottlieb Paludan Architects, GHB and COWI