The 7.8km (4.8-mile) Oresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden, opened in 2000, provides a fast link for thousands of commuters. It used to take much longer by ferry.

Maria Christensen boards the 0742 train in Malmo. A Danish citizen, she is project manager at the Oresund University, grouping 14 higher education institutes.

The Copenhagen train is packed with commuters. Many more people commute to jobs in Denmark than to Sweden. A return ticket costs 186 Swedish kronor (�14).

As the train glides smoothly over the bridge all you see is the expanse of water - not the bridge itself. Above the railway track is the four-lane road link.

At 0810 Maria takes the driverless metro at Oerestad for a 15-minute ride into central Copenhagen. The line is being extended to nearby Kastrup airport.

A meeting with Christian Vintergaard at Copenhagen Business School. He is launching the Oresund Entrepreneurial Academy - a project to facilitate cross-border business activity.

The different currencies have not held back cross-border development. Both countries enjoy solid economic growth, but more commuters get paid in Danish kroner (bottom).

Maria checks the details of her afternoon meeting with Swedish officials in Scania - a region on the other side of the bridge which once belonged to Denmark.

Lars Whitt runs Oresund Direct, an information agency that helps develop the joint labour market. The languages are similar, so communication between Danes and Swedes is easy.

After a Danish lunch of smoerrebroed (rye bread with herrings or other toppings) Maria gets back to Malmo to meet Scania development officials.

Time to unwind at the gym, a short bus ride from home. "I like the Oresund's proximity to Europe - it's so easy to commute," Maria says.