Commuters made an average of 5,471 trips over the bridge by car in the first half of the year, according to new statistics on journeys over the road bridge, an increase of 11.3 percent on the same period last year.
“Commuting swung back up and grew extra fast in the second quarter [in April, May and June],” Linus Eriksson, the chief executive of Øresundsbron, said in a press statement.
Four out of ten of the new commuting journeys were made using the new ØresundPENDLARE+ card, which offers unlimited trips at a fixed price.
The rise in commuter traffic helped counter declining goods traffic over the bridge to leave the total number of trips in the first six months of the year up 3 percent compared to the same period in 2023, with an average 19,136 passengers a day.
The number of Danes travelling across the bridge for shopping and leisure activities in Sweden, which the weak krona has made comparatively cheap, also increased, with people using the ØresundGO card rising by 4 percent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2023.
“Danish leisure traffic reached record highs last year but it’s still continuing to rise,” Eriksson said. “This strengthens the impression we have of a strong interest from Danes in taking outings and holidays in their neighbouring country. At the same time, the weak Swedish krona makes it attractive for Danes to experience Sweden.”
Only 1,619 passengers a day were driving lorries, a reduction of 2.6 percent compared to the same period in 2023, something Eriksson said continued a trend seen in last December’s figures.
“Freight transport has been on a downward trend for nearly a year, after strong growth for several years. In 2024, we started with declining traffic but since April its been more stable at the levels seen last year.”
The number of cars crossing the bridge powered by electric batteries or fuelled by methane rose from 8.4 percent in June 2023 to 12 percent in June 2024, a rise of nearly 45 percent in a single year.
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