Undersea tunnel travel will not be free of charge

The toll charge for travelling through the country’s two undersea tunnels will not be scrapped during this governmental term.

According to the undersea tunnel regulations, the construction cost and the share capital must be paid back in full before the state can take over the running of the tunnels.

The toll charge is the best way to ensure proper maintenance of the tunnels, according to an appendix to the Prime Minister’s annual Ólavsøka speech.

Another reason for not scrapping the toll charge is that a return ticket will only cost DKK 3 after the price of discount tickets is reduced on Wednesday, when the price for a return ticket will be lowered from DKK 25 to DKK 20 for discount ticket holders.

Work commuters are entitled to claim DKK 17 in travel expenses per return trip, leaving the real cost at a mere DKK 3.

The Prime Minister also announced in his Ólavsøka speech that the administration of the two tunnels will be relocated from Tórshavn to Runavík at the end of this year.