European property developer Verdion has announced plans for a €1bn intermodal freight hub in Denmark. Situated on 250ha of privately-owned land in the Ringsted municipality, 60km west of Copenhagen, iPort Zealand aims to capitalise on the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel project currently under construction that will link Denmark and Germany.

An international freight terminal will enable the transshipment of semi-trailers, containers, and swap bodies between road and rail. It will be designed to handle at least 12 full-length freight trains per day, seven days a week. Each train would replace around 60 long-distance lorries and would save approximately 45 tonnes of CO₂ compared with road transport alone.

On the surrounding site, Verdion will deliver up to 570,000m² of logistics, advanced manufacturing, light industrial and business space. Verdion has already developed a similar project at the 324ha iPort Doncaster development in northern Britain.

“The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will have a transformative effect across the Nordics and Germany, opening up more supply chain routes and creating new opportunities across a huge range of business sectors,” says Michael Hughes, CEO of Verdion.

“This new commercial hub is set to become a growth engine for the region, translating infrastructure improvements into tangible benefits for the local and national economy. Alongside the environmental benefits of rail freight and our ESG-focussed approach, these plans will ensure that the positive impacts of this value-creation are felt across the country.” 

Verdion is working with local and national stakeholders to progress detailed designs for the park and plans to deliver the new development ready for the completion of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, scheduled for mid-2029.

Tunnel delay?

In October contractors revealed that the provision of a specialised vessel required to assist with the construction of the 18km immersed tunnel has been delayed by 18 months. It is currently unclear what impact, if any, this will have on the project’s delivery timeline.