Germany's construction culture desperately needs more speed and efficiency, as evidenced by the problematic Fehmarn crossing project. This infrastructure nightmare has been in planning since 2008 and threatens to remain unfinished even 25 years later, raising serious questions about whether the federal government's new plans to accelerate infrastructure projects will prove meaningless.

The contrast with past achievements is stark and embarrassing. Construction of the Vogelfluglinie railway line and the elegant 'coat hanger' bridge over Fehmarnsund began on January 4, 1960, and was completed by April 30, 1963 – just over three years from start to finish. Today, instead of brilliant engineering achievements, Germany seems to rely on basic emergency solutions and endless delays.

The current situation in Schleswig-Holstein perfectly illustrates this decline in efficiency. In 1924, authorities built a bridge over the Schlei waterway using recycled bridge parts from 1892. Incredibly, it wasn't until 2020 that officials suddenly discovered the need for a new bridge replacement. Since then, trains have been forced to stop at both the north and south shores of the Schlei, requiring passengers to complete their journey on foot – a transportation solution that belongs in the 19th century, not the 21st.

Now reports indicate that construction of the Fehmarnsund tunnel connecting the island to the German mainland will be delayed by at least three additional years. Simultaneously, the Federal Railway Authority has announced that the old bridge cannot be used as a temporary replacement during construction. This creates a logistical nightmare that threatens to make Germany an international laughingstock.

The timing couldn't be worse. Since construction of the much longer Belt Tunnel being built by Denmark remains on schedule, high-speed trains from Copenhagen will begin terminating on Fehmarn island starting in 2029. Whether the connection from Lübeck to the new Sound Tunnel will be completed on time remains completely uncertain, creating the possibility of a transportation gap that would severely damage Germany's reputation.

If current delays continue, German transportation planners might be forced to implement a 'Schlei model' solution for Fehmarn. This would involve creating two provisional train stations – Fehmarn Sund North on the island and Fehmarn Sund South on the mainland – connected by approximately one kilometer of walkway. Passengers would transfer from Danish to German high-speed trains using moving walkways similar to those found in airports.

Such a solution would definitively expose German planning and construction culture to international ridicule. Even the originally proposed provisional solution involving electrification of the existing 'coat hanger' bridge would prove expensive and inefficient. This approach would slow down high-speed trains significantly, while freight trains would continue facing lengthy detours through Flensburg.

If the federal government and individual states are serious about accelerating planning processes and modernizing government operations, they should seize this opportunity to make the Fehmarn crossing a genuine pilot project for faster infrastructure development. This would demonstrate whether Germany can still meet construction deadlines and restore confidence in its engineering capabilities.

The author of this analysis is former transportation planner, consumer advocate, and energy manager Holger Krawinkel, who currently works as a consultant and columnist specializing in infrastructure issues.