Transport in Denmark is developed and modern.[clarification needed] The motorway network covers 1,111 km[1] while the railway network totals 2,667 km of operational track.[2] TheGreat Belt Fixed Link (opened in 1997) connecting the islands ofZealand andFunen and theNew Little Belt Bridge (opened in 1970) connecting Funen andJutland greatly improved thetraffic flow across the country on both motorways and rail. The two largest airports ofCopenhagen andBillund provide a variety of domestic and international connections, while ferries provide services to theFaroe Islands,Greenland,Iceland,Germany,Sweden, andNorway, as well as domestic routes servicing most Danish islands.
In 2011, a total of appr. 28 million passengers used Danish airports.[3]
Copenhagen Airport is the largest airport inScandinavia, handling approximately 29m passengers per year (2016). It is located atKastrup, 8 km south-east of centralCopenhagen. It is connected by train toCopenhagen Central Station and beyond as well as toMalmö and other towns inSweden.
For the west of the country, the major airport isBillund (3m passengers in 2016) although bothAalborg (1.4m passengers in 2011) andAarhus (591.000 passengers in 2011) have smaller airports with regular connections to Copenhagen.
Denmark's main airports are:
Other airports include:
Being an island state with a long coastline and always close to the sea, maritime transport has always been important in Denmark. From the primitivedugouts of theStone Age to the complex designs of theViking ships in theViking Age, often built to exactly facilitate large scale cargo and passenger transportation. Denmark also engaged in the large scale cargo freights andslave transports of theEuropean colonization endeavours in the Middle Ages and operated several smallercolonies of its own across the globe by the means of seafaring.
Today Denmark's ports handle some 48 million passengers and 109 million tonnes of cargo per year.[5]
Passenger traffic is made up partly of ferry crossings within Denmark, partly of international ferry crossings and partly of cruise ship passengers.Some short ferry routes are beingelectrified[6] and several more may be eligible,[7]as in Norway.[8]
Among the most important ports for passenger traffic (thousands of passengers per year in 2007) are:
In 2007, 288 cruise ships visited Copenhagen, rising to 376 in 2011 before returning to around 300 the following years. Around 800,000 cruise passengers and 200,000 crew visit Copenhagen each year.[9]
Among the most important ports for cargo traffic (millions of tonnes per year in 2007) are:
Waterways have historically and traditionally been crucial to local transportation in Denmark proper. Especially theGudenå river-system in central Jutland, has played an important role. The waterways were navigated by woodenbarges and later onsteamboats.[10] A few historical steamboats are still in operation, like theSS Hjejlen from 1861 atSilkeborg.
There is a 160 km natural canal through the shallowLimfjorden in northern Jutland, linking theNorth Sea to theKattegat.
Many waterways has formerly been redirected and led through manmade canals in the 1900s, but mainly for agricultural purposes and not to facilitate transportation on any major scale. Several cities have manmade canals used for transportation and traffic purposes. Of special mention are thecanals of Copenhagen and theOdense Canal, ferrying large numbers of both tourists and local citizens.[11]
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 Traffic and protected areas around Denmark |
Denmark has a large merchant fleet relative to its size. In 2018, the fleet surpassed 20 milliongt as the government sought to repatriate Danish-owned tonnage registered abroad, with measures including removal of the registration fee.[12]
Denmark has created its own international register, called theDanish International Ship register (DIS), open to commercial vessels only. DIS ships do not have to meet Danish manning regulations.
The largest railway operator inDenmark isDanske Statsbaner (DSB) — Danish State Railways.Arriva operates some routes inJutland, and several other smaller operators provide local services.
The total length of operational track is 3,476 km standard gauge, with 1,756 km electrified.[13]
The railway system is connected to Sweden by bridge in Copenhagen and ferry in Helsingør and Frederikshavn, by land to Germany in Padborg and ferry in Rødby and to Norway by ferry in Hirtshals.
The road network in 2017 totalled 74,558 km of paved road.[13] Motorways are toll-free except for theGreat Belt Bridge joiningZealand andFunen and theØresund Bridge linking Copenhagen toMalmö in Sweden.
Bicycling in Denmark is a common and popularutilitarian andrecreational activity.Bicycling infrastructure is a dominant feature of both city and countryside infrastructure, withbicycle paths andbicycle ways in many places and an extensive network ofbicycle routes, extending more than 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi) nationwide.[14] In comparison,Denmark's coastline is 7,314 kilometres (4,545 mi). As a unique feature, Denmark has aVIN-system for bicycles which is mandatory by law. Often bicycling andbicycle culture inDenmark is compared to theNetherlands as a bicycle-nation.
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Figures in 2015:[13]
