FEBRUARY 2006

Copenhagen expands metro

On February 2 it was decided that the Copenhagen Metro system will be expanded with a 'Cityring'. The Cityring is expected to become operational in 2017 creating a fine-meshed network of train lines across the centre of Copenhagen.

Copenhagen's first ever Metro system commenced operating on October 19th 2002. This DKK 12bn project featured new, state of the art, driverless trains. When the new Cityring is completed the Metro will have 39 stations in total, 26 below ground and 13 above, linked by 36 km of track, 26 km of which will be in tunnels beneath the ground.

The third stage of the Copenhagen Metro system is currently under construction. This part of the system is expected to be up running by 2007 and will stretch to Copenhagen Airport from the east of Amager, the island to the southeast of the city centre.

The Cityring is the next step in the completion of the Metro system and will connect the centre of Copenhagen with the city quarters of Østerbro, Nørrebro, Frederiksberg and Vesterbro, and feature 17 underground stations.    

When fully operational the Cityring will transport approximately 275,000 passengers each day. The Cityring will be fully integrated with Copenhagen's public transport system, with trains running at intervals of just a few minutes and short travelling times between stops. For example, a journey between a station at Marmorkirken and Nørrebro Station - across the city centre - will take nine minutes, compared to a current journey time of approximately 25 minutes with public transport.     

At the moment trains are running from Nørreport, in the city centre, to Lergravsparken, in eastern Amager, and to Ørestad, the new development city quarter on central Amager, where Scandinavia's largest congress centre, the Bella Center, has its own metro station. In May 2003 the westbound service Nørreport-Frederiksberg opened and, today, the metro runs further west to Vanløse. Thus, for the first time, large urban areas to the east and west of the city are linked via the city centre. 

With a top speed of 80 km/h and an average speed of 40 km/h the new Metro offers by far the quickest method of traversing the capital - it is three times faster than a bus, for example. Currently 29 trains are in service and the waiting time is only three minutes during off-peak hours and just two minutes during rush hour. Trains run around the clock at weekends and, once the system becomes fully operational, they will run through the night on weekdays as well. In 2007, the network will have 34 trains running simultaneously.

For extra convenience the new Metro uses the same ticket system as the local busses and S-Tog trains.

Safety has been an important consideration in the design of the system. Although the trains are fully automatic and driverless, Metro stewards travel on each train to ensure safety, check tickets and generally assist passengers. As well as this, the system has been designed so that there is never more than 300m to the nearest exit - either via a platform or through a safety shaft. All tunnels are equipped with a pavement in case evacuation through the tunnel is necessary.

Each train consists of three carriages (39 m long, 2.56 m wide) with a total capacity of 300 passengers (96 seated, 204 standing). The elegant yet highly functional trains and carriages have been designed by the renowned Italian design company Guigaro Design, headed by the legendary Giorgio Guigaro, responsible for a diverse range of designs from Canon cameras to the original VW Golf.

Funding for the Metro has come from loans to be paid back over 45 years from operational revenue, sale of land in Ørestad and through contributions from Frederiksberg City Council and Copenhagen City Council.

The Metro has been built by the Ørestad Development Corporation, the partnership between Copenhagen City Council and the Ministry of Transport which is also overseeing the development of the new city quarter, Ørestad. For the first five years it will be operated and maintained by Metro Service A/S, a subcontractor to the system's train and track supplier, Ansaldo of Italy.