Editing Great Belt Bridge (section)

== Traffic implications ==
{{Location map many | Denmark
| label = Great Belt Bridge 
| mark =Diamond_sheer_red_27.png | marksize = 27
| lat_deg=55.333333
| lon_deg=10.966667
| position = right
| float = right
| caption = Site of Great Belt Bridge in Denmark
| lat2_deg = 55.676111
| lon2_deg = 12.568333
| label2 = [[Copenhagen]]
| position2 = right
| lat3_deg = 55.395967
| lon3_deg = 10.388536
| label3 = [[Odense]]
| position3 = left
}}

[[File:Storebæltsbroen aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the eastern portion, with the East Bridge, or Storebæltsbroen]]

Prior to the opening of the link, an average of 8,000 cars used the ferries across the Great Belt every day. The traffic across the strait increased 127 percent over the first year after the link's opening<ref>Claus F. Baunkjær. [http://www.femern.com/service-menu/press--documents/press-releases/cautious-traffic-assumptions-for-the-fehmarnbelt-project "Cautious traffic assumptions for the Fehmarnbelt project"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702184331/http://www.femern.com/service-menu/press--documents/press-releases/cautious-traffic-assumptions-for-the-fehmarnbelt-project |date=2 July 2015 }}. ''[[Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link]]''. 28 March 2013. Accessed 6 October 2013.</ref> due to the so-called traffic leap: new traffic generated by the improved ease, facility and lower price of crossing the Great Belt. In 2021, an average of 34,100 vehicles used the link each day. On 7 August 2022 a record 61,528 vehicles passed the bridge in 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.storebaelt.dk/omstorebaelt/trafiktal| title = Storebælt}}</ref> The increase in traffic is partly caused by the general growth of traffic, partly diversion of traffic volume from other services via ferry and services.

The fixed link has produced considerable savings in travel time between eastern and western Denmark. Previously, it took approximately 90 minutes on average to cross the Great Belt in a car with transfer by ferry, including the waiting time at the ports. It took considerably longer during peak periods, such as weekends and holidays. With the opening of the link, the journey is now between 10 and 15 minutes.

By train the time savings are significant as well. The journey has been reduced by 60 minutes, and there are many more seats available because more carriages may be added to a train that does not have to fit on a ferry. The [[seating capacity]] offered by [[Danske Statsbaner|DSB]] across the Great Belt on an ordinary Wednesday has risen from 11,060 seats to 37,490 seats. On Fridays the [[seating capacity]] exceeds 40,000 seats.

The shortest travel times are: [[Copenhagen]]&ndash;[[Odense]] 1 hour 15 minutes, Copenhagen&ndash;[[Aarhus]] 2 hours 30 minutes, Copenhagen&ndash;[[Aalborg]] 3 hours 55 minutes and Copenhagen&ndash;[[Esbjerg]] 2 hours 35 minutes.

Flights between [[Copenhagen Airport|Copenhagen]] and [[Odense Airport|Odense]], and between Copenhagen and [[Esbjerg Airport|Esbjerg]] have ceased, and the train now has the largest market share between Copenhagen and Aarhus.

Together with the [[Øresund Bridge]], and the two Little Belt Bridges (the [[Little Belt Bridge|Old]] and the [[Little Belt Bridge (1970)|New]]), the link provides a direct fixed connection between western Continental Europe and northern Scandinavia, eventually connecting all parts of the [[European Union]] except Ireland, [[Malta]], [[Cyprus]], and outlying islands. Most people from Zealand still prefer to take the ferry between [[Puttgarden]] and [[Rødby]], as it is a much shorter distance and provides a needed break for those travelling a long distance.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

For freight trains, the fixed links are a large improvement between Sweden and Germany, and between Sweden and the UK. The Sweden-to-Germany ferry system is still used to some extent owing to limited rail capacity, with heavy passenger traffic over the bridges and some single track stretches in southern Denmark and northern Germany.

The Great Belt was used by now defunct night passenger trains between Copenhagen and Germany, which were too long to fit on the ferries. Day trains on the Copenhagen-Hamburg route first continued to use the [[Fehmarn Belt]] ferries, utilising short diesel trains, but now also use the Great Belt route, which potentially allows longer trains to be used, increasing capacity.

By 2028, the [[Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link]] is expected to be complete with much of the international traffic being shifted from the Great Belt Fixed Link. This more direct route will reduce the rail journey from Hamburg to Copenhagen from 4:45 to 3:30 hours.

===Toll charge===
[[File:Storebaelt toll area.jpg|thumb|right|The toll area at night. Each booth can be used for [[electronic toll collection]] (green booths), [[credit card]] (blue booths) or manual payment (yellow booths), depending on the load on each payment method.]]
In 2019, the vehicle tolls were:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.storebaelt.dk/english/toll-charges|title=Prices - Storebælt|publisher=Storebaelt.dk|access-date=2019-09-28|archive-date=23 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923111815/https://www.storebaelt.dk/english/toll-charges|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Vehicle !! One trip !! One day return !! Notes
|-
| Standard car || 245 DKK (€35) || Vary || Discounted price at 193.80 DKK for using [[BroBizz]] and being part of Club Storebælt.
|-
| Motorcycle || 130 DKK (€18) || (N/A) || Solo motorcycles only. Trailer combinations charged at 245 DKK (€35).
|-
| Motorhome, 6&ndash;10 m || 370 DKK (€52) || (N/A) || Total weight up to 3,500&nbsp;kg. Motorhomes over 3,500&nbsp;kg charged at 610 DKK (€85).
|-
| Tourist bus, 10&ndash;20 m|| 965 DKK (€135) || (N/A) || —
|-
| colspan=4 |Comparing with trains, shortest possible crossing of the Belt (Nyborg to Korsør): 106 DKK (standard ticket). Discounted DSB Orange ticket from 25 DKK.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dsb.dk/|title=DSB: Find din togrejse og pris|website=www.dsb.dk|access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>

|}