Copenhagen Metro
Encyclopedia
Copenhagen Metro is a rapid transit system
serving Copenhagen
, Frederiksberg
and Tårnby
in Denmark
. The 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) system opened between 2002 and 2007, and has two lines, M1
and M2
. The driverless light metro supplements the larger S-train
rapid transit system, and is integrated with DSB local trains and Movia
buses. Through the city center and west to Frederiksberg, M1 and M2 share a common line. To the south-east, the system serves Amager
, with the 13.7 kilometres (8.5 mi) M1 running though the new neighborhood of Ørestad
, and the 14.2 kilometres (8.8 mi) M2 serving the eastern neighborhoods and Copenhagen Airport
. The metro has 22 stations, of which 9 are underground. In 2009, the metro carried 50 million passengers.
The system is owned by Metroselskabet, which is again owned by the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, and the Ministry of Transport. The 34 trains are of the class AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro
, and stationed at the Control and Maintenance Center at Vestamager
. The trains are 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) wide and three cars long; their 630 kW power output is supplied by a 750-volt third rail
. Operation of the system is subcontracted to Metro Service. Trains run continually, twenty-four hours a day, with the headway
varying from two to twenty minutes.
Planning of the metro started in 1992 as part of the redevelopment plans for Ørestad. A tram
way and light rail
were considered, but discarded in the process. Construction started in 1996, and stage 1, from Nørreport
to Vestamager
and Lergravsparken
, opened in 2002. Stage 2, from Nørreport to Vanløse
, opened in 2003, followed by stage 3, from Lergravsparken to Lufthavnen
, in 2007. Construction of the City Circle Line is underway, and is scheduled to open in 2018. It will form a circle around the city center, be entirely underground and not share any track with M1 and M2. A further expansion towards Brønshøj
is being considered. On Jan 7, 2011 the new project called Cityringen started with the signature by Metroselskabet of new contracts, with Ansaldo Breda and Ansaldo Sts (Finmeccanica Group) for the supply of trains and control systems and with an Italian joint-venture led by Salin Construttori (about 60%) and Tecnimont (about 40%) with Seli as third partner for the construction part.
area of Copenhagen. The principal of building a rail transit was passed by the Parliament of Denmark on 24 June 1992, with the Ørestad Act. The responsibility for developing the area, as well as building and operating the metro, was given to the Ørestad Development Corporation
, a joint venture between Copenhagen Municipality (45%) and the Ministry of Finance
(55%). Initially, three modes were considered: a tramway, a light rail and a rapid transit. In October 1994, the Development Corporation chose a light rapid transit.
The tram solution would have been a street tram which operated on the regular streets, without any major infrastructure investments in the city center, such as right-of-way. Through Ørestad it would have level crossing, and only with the European Route E20
and the Øresund Line would there be a grade-separated crossing. It would have had a driver and operate at about a 150-second interval—twice the cycle time of the city's traffic lights. Power would have been provided with overhead wire. Stops would be located about every 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) and be at street level. The articulated trams would have been about 35 metres (114.8 ft) long and have a capacity for 230 passengers.
The light rail model would have used the same approach as the tram in Ørestad, but would instead have run through a tunnel in the city center. The tunnel sections would be shorter, but the diameter larger because it would have to accommodate overhead wires. The system would have the same frequency as the tram, but use double trams and would therefore require larger stations. The metro solution was chosen because it combined the highest average speeds, the highest ridership, the lowest visual and noise impact, and the lowest number of accidents. Despite it also bearing the highest investments, it had the highest net present value
.
The decision to build stage 2, from Nørreport to Vanløse, and stage 3, to the airport, was taken by Parliament on 21 December 1994. Stage 2 involved the establishment of the company Fredriksbergbaneselskapet I/S in February 1995, owned 70% by the Ørestad Development Corporation and 30% by Fredriksberg Municipality. The third stage would be built by Østamagerbaneselskapet I/S, established in September 1995 and owned 55% by the Ørestad Development Corporation and 45% by Copenhagen County
. In October 1996, a contract was signed with the Copenhagen Metro Construction Group (COMET) for building the lines (Civil Works), and with Ansaldo STS
for delivery of technological systems and trains, and to operate the system the first five years. COMET was a single-purpose consortium composed of Astaldi
, Bachy
, SAE
, Ilbau
, NCC Rasmussen & Schiøtz Anlæg
and Tarmac Construction.
s (TMB), christened Liva and Bette, were delivered. They started boring each barrel of the tunnel from Islands Brygge
in February 1998. The same month, the Public Transport Authority
gave the necessary permits to operate a driverless metro. The section between Fasanvej
and Frederiksberg
is a former S-train line, and was last operated as such on 20 June 1998.
The first section of tunnel was completed in September 1998, and the TMBs moved to Havnegade. By December 1998, work had started on the initial nine stations. Plans for M2 were presented to the public in April 1999, with a debate emerging if the proposed elevated solution was the best. In May, the first trains were delivered, and trial runs began at the depot. In December, the tunnels were completed to Strandlodsvej, and the TMBs were moved to Havnegade, where they started to grind towards Frederiksberg. From 1 January 2000, the S-train service from Solbjerg
to Vanløse was terminated, and work commenced to rebuild the section to metro. The last section of tunnel was completed in February 2001.
In March 2001, Copenhagen County Council decided to start construction of stage 3. On 6 November 2001, the first train operated through a tunnel section. On 28 November, laying of tracks along stage 1, and stage 2A from Nørreport to Frederiksberg, was completed. An agreement about financing stage 3 was reached on 12 April. By 22 May, the 18 delivered trains had test-run 100000 kilometres (62,137.3 mi). The section from Nørreport to Lergravsparken and Vesterport was opened on 19 October 2002. Initially, the system had a 12-minute headway
on each of the two services. From 3 December this was reduced to 9 minutes, and from 19 December to 6 minutes. Operation of the system was subcontracted to Ansaldo, who again subcontracted it to Metro Service, a subsidiary of Serco Group
. The contract had a duration of five years, with an option for extension for another three.
to open the line, the opening needed to be adapted to her calendar. This caused four days without a bus service along the line. Stage 2B, from Frederiksberg to Vanløse, opened on 12 October.
Forum Station
was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture
in 2005. On 2 December 2005, the final agreement to build the City Circle Line was made between the local and national governments. The price was estimated at 11.5 to 18.3 billion Danish krone
(DKK), of which DKK 5.4 billion will be financed though ticket sales, and the remaining from the state and municipalities. In 2006, it was announced that the contract with Ansaldo to operate the metro had been prolonged another three years. However, the subcontract between Ansaldo and Serco Group was not extended, and the contract was instead given to Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
in joint venture with Ansaldo; they took over operations from October 2007. The Ørestad Development Corporation was discontinued in 2007, and the ownership of the metro was transferred to Metroselskabet I/S.
In January 2007, the city council decided that a branch was to be built during construction at Norreport, to allow a future branch line from the City Circle Line towards Brønshøj
. The start must be built at the same time as the City Circle Line, or face a multitude-higher construction cost and long interruptions of operations later. This did not involve a final decision, only an option for future construction. In March 2007, a proposal to establish a station at Valby
, where the Carlsberg Group is planning an urban redevelopment, was scrapped. The proposal would have increased construction costs by DKK 900 million and was deemed not economical. The increased cost was, in part, due to an extra TBM being needed to complete the project on time. The City Circle Line was passed by parliament on 1 June 2007, with only the Red–Green Alliance
voting in disfavor.
The 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) stage 3 opened on 28 September 2007, from Lergravsparken to the airport. It followed, for the most part, the route of the former Amager Line
of the Danish State Railways. With this stage complete, the 34 trains were delivered. However, the line caused a heated debate, with several locals organized themselves into the Amager Metro Group. The group argued that the line should have been built underground, citing concerns that it would create noise pollution and a physical barrier in Amager. In April 2008, the Copenhagen Metro won the award at MetroRail 2008 for the world's best metro. The jury noted the system's high regularity, safety and passenger satisfaction, as well as the efficient transport to the airport. During 2008, the metro experienced a 16% passenger growth to 44 million passengers per year.
An agreement made in September 2008, the Social Democrats
, the Conservative People's Party
, the Liberal Party and the Danish People's Party
agreed to not fund an expansion of the metro northwest. Initially, the system operated trains from 01:00 to 05:00 only on Thursdays through Saturdays, but, starting on 19 March 2009, night service was extended to the rest of the week. This caused a logistical challenge, because Metro Service used the nights for maintenance. The routes were therefore set up in such a way that the system could be operated on only a single track, leaving the other free for work. In May 2009, six companies were pre-qualified to bid for the public service obligation
to operate the metro. These were Serco–NedRailways, Ansaldo STS
, Arriva
, S-Bahn Hamburg
, Keolis
and DSB Metro—a joint venture between DSB and RATP. The process was delayed because of a procedural error by Metroselskabet, who failed to pre-qualify DSB Metro.
, where they split along two lines: M1 follows the Ørestad Line to Vestamager, while M2 follows the Østamager Line to the airport. The lines have 22 stations and are 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) long, of which 9 stations and 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) km are on the common section. M1 is 13.7 kilometres (8.5 mi) long and has 15 stations, while M2 is 14.2 kilometres (8.8 mi) long and has 16 stations. About 10 kilometres (6 mi) of the lines and 9 stations are in tunnel, located at 20 metre below ground level. The remaining sections are on embankments
, viaduct
s or at ground level.
The section from Vanløse to Frederiksberg follows the Frederiksberg Line, a former S-train line which runs on an embankment. Between Solbjerg and Frederiksberg, the line runs underground, and continues through the city center. After Christianshavn, the line splits in two. M1 reaches ground level at Islands Brygge, and continues on a viaduct through the Vestamager
area. M2 continues in tunnel until after Lergravsparken, where it starts to follow the former Amager Line.
The tunnels consist of two parallel barrels; they run through stable limestone
at about 30 metres (98.4 ft) depth, but are elevated slightly at stations. There are emergency exits every 600 metres (1,968.5 ft), so the train is at any time not further than 300 metres (984.3 ft) away from one. The outer tunnel diameter is 5.5 metres (18 ft), while the inner diameter is 4.9 metres (16.1 ft). The tunnels were excavated by the cut-and-cover method, the New Austrian Tunnelling method
and by tunnel boring machine
s (TBM). Along the elevated sections, the tracks run on alternating sections of separate reinforced concrete viaducts and joint embankments made of reinforced earth.
throughout the day. During rush hour (07:00–10:00 and 15:00–18:00), there is a two-minute headway on the common section and a four-minute headway on the single-service sections. During Thursday through Saturday night (24:00–05:00), the headway is fifteen minutes, and other nights it is twenty minutes on all sections of the metro. At all other times, there is a three-minute headway on the common section and a six-minute on the split sections. Travel time from Nørreport to Vestamager on M1 is 14 minutes, to the airport on M2 is 15 minutes, and to Vanløse on M1 and M2 is 9 minutes. In 2009, the metro transported 50 million passengers, or 137,000 per day.
The metro operates with a proof-of-payment
system, so riders must have a valid ticket before entering the station platforms. The system is divided into zones
, and the fare structure is integrated with other public transport in Copenhagen, including the buses managed by Movia, local DSB trains and the S-train. The system lies within four different zones. Ticket machine
s are available at all stations, where special tickets for dogs and bicycles can also be purchased. A two-zone ticket costs DKK 23, a three-zone ticket DKK 34.50 and a four-zone ticket DKK 46. Discounts are available for multi-ride tickets and children. Tickets must be stamped to be validated. Monthly passes cost DKK 320,- for two zones and DKK 585,- for four zones. Holders of the Copenhagen Card museum pass ride free of charge, as do up to two children under twelve years of age accompanied by an adult. Between 2010 and 2012, the metro will adapt the national electronic fare card system Rejsekort
.
The system is integrated with other public transport in Copenhagen. There is transfer to the S-train at Vanløse, Flintholm
and Nørreport, to DSB's local trains at Nørreport, Ørestad
and Lufthavnen, and to Copenhagen Airport at Lufthavnen. There are transfers to Movia bus services at all but four stations.
The system is owned by Metroselskabet, who is also responsible for building the City Circle Line. The company is owned by Copenhagen Municipality (50.0%), the Ministry of Transport (41.7%) and Frederiksberg Municipality (8.3%). The company is organized with as few employees as possible. Construction and operation is subcontracted through public tenders, while consultants are used for planning. The contract to operate the system was made with Ansaldo STS
, who has subcontracted it to Metro Service, a joint venture between them and Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
(ATM), the public transport company of the city of Milan
, Italy. The company has about 200 employees, the majority who work as stewards.
on the network, of which nine are underground and six are deep-level. They were all designed by KHR Arkitekter
, who created open stations with daylight. Stations have an information column in front, marked with a large 'M' and featuring information screens. All stations have a vestibule
at ground level, which has ticket and local information, ticket machines and validators. The stations are built with island platforms and are fully accessible
for people with disabilities.
The six deep-level stations are built as square, open boxes 60 metres (196.9 ft) long, 20 metres (65.6 ft) wide and 20 metres (65.6 ft) deep. The platforms are located 18 metres (59.1 ft) below the surface. Access to the surface is reached via escalators and elevators. The design allows the stations to be located below streets and squares, allowing the stations to be built without expropriation
. Access to the track is blocked by platform screen doors. The underground stations were built as cut-and-cover from the top down (except Christianshavn, which was excavated as a large hole and the station built bottom-up), and the first part of construction was building a water-tight wall on all sides. There are glass pyramids on the roof of the stations permitting daylight to enter. Inside the pyramids, there are prism
s reflecting and splitting the light, sometimes resulting in rainbows on the walls. The light in the stations is automatically regulated to make best use of the daylight and maintain a constant level of illumination of the stations at all times.
The elevated stations are built in glass, concrete and steel to minimize their visual impact. Outside, there is parking for bicycles, cars, buses and taxis. The platforms are open, but have sheds, and automatic sensors that halt trains if obstacles are detected on the tracks.
The system uses 34 driverless electric multiple unit
s built by AnsaldoBreda and designed by Giugiaro Design of Italy.
The trains are 39 metres (128 ft) long, 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) wide, and weigh 52 tonnes (51.2 LT). Each train consists of three articulated cars with a total of six automated, 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) wide doors, holding up to 96 seated and 204 standing passengers. There are four large 'flex areas' in each train with folding seats providing space for wheelchairs, strollers and bicycles.
Each car is equipped with two three-phase
asynchronous
105 kW motors
, giving each train a power output of 630 kW. In each car, the two motors are fed by the car's own insulated-gate bipolar transistor. They transform the 750-volt direct current
collected from the third rail shoe
to the three-phase alternating current used in the motors. The trains' top speed are 80 km/h (49.7 mph), while the average service speed is 40 km/h (24.9 mph), with an acceleration and deceleration capacity of 1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) along the standard-gauge
track.
The entire metro system and the trains are run by a fully automated computer system, located at the Control and Maintenance Center south of Vestamanger Station. The automatic train control
(ATC) consists of three subsystems: automatic train protection
(ATP), automatic train operation
(ATO) and automatic train supervisory (ATS). The ATP is responsible for keeping the trains' speed, insuring that doors are closed before departure and insuring that switches
are correct set. The system uses fixed block signaling, except around stations, where moving block signaling is used.
The ATO is the autopilot
that runs the trains on a predefined schedule, insures that the trains stop at the station and opens the doors. The ATS keeps track of all the components in the network, including the rails and all of the trains in the system, and displays a live schematic at the control centre. The ATC is designed so that the ATP is the only safety-critical system, as it would halt the trains if the other systems fail. The safety and signaling specifications are based on the German BOStrab
, and controlled by TÜV Rheinland
and Det Norske Veritas
under supervision of the Public Transport Authority. Other aspects of the system, such a power supply, ventilation, security alarms, cameras and pumps, are controlled by a system called "control, regulating and surveillance".
The Control and Maintenance Center is an 1.1 hectares (2.7 acre) facility located at the south end of M1. It consists of a storage area for trains not in use, a maintenance area and the control facility. Trains operate automatically through the system, and can also automatically be washed on the exterior. The facility has 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of track, of which 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) is a test track for use after maintenance. The most common repairs are the grinding of the wheels; more complicated repairs are made by replacing entire components that are sent to the manufacturer. By having components in reserve, trains can have shorter maintenance time. The center also has several maintenance trains, including a diesel locomotive that is able retrieve broken down or disabled trains.
At any time, there are four people working at the control centre: two monitor the ATC system, one monitors passenger information, and one is responsible for secondary systems, such as power supply. In case of technical problems, there is always a team of linemen that can be dispatched to perform repairs. Although the trains are not equipped with drivers, there are stewards at stations and on some trains that help passengers, perform ticket controls and assist in emergency situations.
, Nørrebro
and Vesterbro to Frederiksberg and Indre By
. The line will be 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi) long and run entirely in tunnel. The circle will have 17 stations, and it will take 25 minutes to complete a full circle. Archaeological and geological surveys started in 2007, preferred bidders were announced in November 2010 and construction of the tunnels is planned to commence in 2010.
The line will operate as M3 and M4. The former will run a full circle, while M4 will only operate on the eastern half from Copenhagen Central Station (København H) via Østerport
to Nørrebro
. Trains will operate both ways through the circle. The line will have transfer to M1 and M2 at Frederiksberg and Kongens Nytorv
. The line is estimated to carry 240,000 daily passengers, bringing the metro's total daily ridership to 460,000.
A further expansion of the City Circle Line has been proposed, where M4 would divert at Nørrebro and run to the suburbs of Brønshøj
and Gladsaxe
. There are two proposals, one with four stations that runs to Husum
, and one with nine stations that will run to Gladsaxe. The authorities are also considering light rail and bus rapid transit
. The longer proposal would be 10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi) long, give a 400% increase in public transport ridership in the area, and cost DKK 9.3 billion to build.
In September 2011, the local governments in Copenhagen and neighbouring Malmö
in Sweden announced that they were seeking European Union funding to study a potential metro line under the Øresund to the neighbourhood of Malmö Central Station
, providing faster trips and additional capacity beyond that of the existing Øresund Bridge. The study will consider both a simple shuttle between the two stations and a continuous line integrated with the local transport networks on each side, and they anticipate a travel time of 15 minutes between the two city centres.
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
serving Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
and Tårnby
Tårnby
Tårnby Kommune is a municipality bordering Copenhagen on the island of Amager just south of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality includes the islands of Saltholm and Peberholm, and covers an area of 65 km². It has a total population of 40,214...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) system opened between 2002 and 2007, and has two lines, M1
M1 (Copenhagen)
M1 of the Copenhagen Metro, colored green on the map, runs from Vanløse to Vestamager. It connects the Ørestad neighborhood of Copenhagen, Denmark, to the city center. The line is elevated while traveling through Øresund, while it runs in a tunnel below the city center...
and M2
M2 (Copenhagen)
M2 is a line of the Copenhagen Metro, colored yellow on the map. It runs from Vanløse to Lufthavnen through the center of Copenhagen, sharing track with the M1 from Vanløse to Christianshavn. The line was built along with M1 as part of the redevelopment of Ørestad. The principle of the line was...
. The driverless light metro supplements the larger S-train
S-Train
The S-train network is a combined urban rapid transit and suburban rail network of Metropolitan Copenhagen, Denmark. It connects the city center with the inner suburbs of Copenhagen, and has close to half of the stations within the urban city. The first line was opened in 1934...
rapid transit system, and is integrated with DSB local trains and Movia
Movia (transit agency)
Trafikselskabet Movia is the public transport agency that is responsible for buses and certain local railways in Copenhagen and the part of Denmark east of the Great Belt, covering the regions Sjælland and Hovedstaden, except for Bornholm. It does not own any buses and trains itself, but pays...
buses. Through the city center and west to Frederiksberg, M1 and M2 share a common line. To the south-east, the system serves Amager
Amager
Amager is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges.-History:...
, with the 13.7 kilometres (8.5 mi) M1 running though the new neighborhood of Ørestad
Ørestad
Ørestad is a developing city area in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Amager. It is expected that 20,000 people will live in Ørestad, 20,000 will study, and 80,000 people will be employed in the area...
, and the 14.2 kilometres (8.8 mi) M2 serving the eastern neighborhoods and Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
. The metro has 22 stations, of which 9 are underground. In 2009, the metro carried 50 million passengers.
The system is owned by Metroselskabet, which is again owned by the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, and the Ministry of Transport. The 34 trains are of the class AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro
AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro
The AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro is a class of driverless electric multiple units and corresponding signaling system. Manufactured by AnsaldoBreda of Italy, it is or will be used on the Copenhagen Metro, the Brescia Metrobus, the Thessaloniki Metro, Line 5 of the Milan Metro, Line C of the Rome...
, and stationed at the Control and Maintenance Center at Vestamager
Vestamager
Vestamager most often refers to Kalvebod Fælled, but is also the name of one of the 15 administrative, statistical, and tax city districts comprising the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark. It lies on the south border of the municipality on the island of Amager...
. The trains are 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) wide and three cars long; their 630 kW power output is supplied by a 750-volt third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
. Operation of the system is subcontracted to Metro Service. Trains run continually, twenty-four hours a day, with the headway
Headway
Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...
varying from two to twenty minutes.
Planning of the metro started in 1992 as part of the redevelopment plans for Ørestad. A tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way and light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
were considered, but discarded in the process. Construction started in 1996, and stage 1, from Nørreport
Nørreport station
Nørreport Station is a mainline railway, S-train and Copenhagen Metro station located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the busiest train station in the country, serving 300,000 people daily, including passengers not stepping off. There are 165.000 leaving or entering trains including the metro...
to Vestamager
Vestamager station
Vestamager Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro, Denmark. It is the terminus of the M1 line. Opened in 2002, it is located in fare zone 3, in Ørestad Syd, also called the Vestamager District. The station is close to Kalvebod Fælled and next to the metro's Control and...
and Lergravsparken
Lergravsparken station
Lergravsparken Station is a deep-level rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro, located near the park with the same name. It opened in 2002....
, opened in 2002. Stage 2, from Nørreport to Vanløse
Vanløse station
Vanløse Station is an S-train and Copenhagen Metro station in the Vanløse district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The metro station at street level is the eastern terminus of lines M1 and M2. S-trains on the Frederikssund radial stop at an upper level to the south of the Metro station...
, opened in 2003, followed by stage 3, from Lergravsparken to Lufthavnen
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup Station
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup Station is a railway station in Tårnby, Denmark, served by DSB’s regional trains including the Oresundtrain network. The nearby Lufthavnen metro station is served by the Copenhagen Metro’s line M2. The reconstructed railway station opened 2007-09-28, and Metro service...
, in 2007. Construction of the City Circle Line is underway, and is scheduled to open in 2018. It will form a circle around the city center, be entirely underground and not share any track with M1 and M2. A further expansion towards Brønshøj
Brønshøj
Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district of Brønshøj-Husum. Brønshøj lies on rising ground 4 km west of Copenhagen center and is bordered by the large wetland area of Utterslev Mose to the north. A number of ponds, lakes,...
is being considered. On Jan 7, 2011 the new project called Cityringen started with the signature by Metroselskabet of new contracts, with Ansaldo Breda and Ansaldo Sts (Finmeccanica Group) for the supply of trains and control systems and with an Italian joint-venture led by Salin Construttori (about 60%) and Tecnimont (about 40%) with Seli as third partner for the construction part.
History
Background
The planning of the metro was spurred by the development of the ØrestadØrestad
Ørestad is a developing city area in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Amager. It is expected that 20,000 people will live in Ørestad, 20,000 will study, and 80,000 people will be employed in the area...
area of Copenhagen. The principal of building a rail transit was passed by the Parliament of Denmark on 24 June 1992, with the Ørestad Act. The responsibility for developing the area, as well as building and operating the metro, was given to the Ørestad Development Corporation
Ørestad Development Corporation
The Ørestad Development Corporation was a company responsible for urban redevelopment of Ørestad south of Copenhagen, Denmark. The company was owned by the Copenhagen Municipality and the Ministry of Finance . It was also responsible for building parts of the Copenhagen Metro. The company was...
, a joint venture between Copenhagen Municipality (45%) and the Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance of Denmark
The Ministry of Finance of Denmark is a ministry in the Government of Denmark. Among other things, it is in charge of the government budget , paying government employees and improving efficiency in government administration...
(55%). Initially, three modes were considered: a tramway, a light rail and a rapid transit. In October 1994, the Development Corporation chose a light rapid transit.
The tram solution would have been a street tram which operated on the regular streets, without any major infrastructure investments in the city center, such as right-of-way. Through Ørestad it would have level crossing, and only with the European Route E20
European route E20
The European route E 20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network.It runs roughly west-east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally Russia. The length is . The road is not continuous, at three points, a sea crossing is required. ...
and the Øresund Line would there be a grade-separated crossing. It would have had a driver and operate at about a 150-second interval—twice the cycle time of the city's traffic lights. Power would have been provided with overhead wire. Stops would be located about every 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) and be at street level. The articulated trams would have been about 35 metres (114.8 ft) long and have a capacity for 230 passengers.
The light rail model would have used the same approach as the tram in Ørestad, but would instead have run through a tunnel in the city center. The tunnel sections would be shorter, but the diameter larger because it would have to accommodate overhead wires. The system would have the same frequency as the tram, but use double trams and would therefore require larger stations. The metro solution was chosen because it combined the highest average speeds, the highest ridership, the lowest visual and noise impact, and the lowest number of accidents. Despite it also bearing the highest investments, it had the highest net present value
Net present value
In finance, the net present value or net present worth of a time series of cash flows, both incoming and outgoing, is defined as the sum of the present values of the individual cash flows of the same entity...
.
Copenhagen County
Københavns Amt is a former county on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. It covered the municipalities in the metropolitan Copenhagen area, with the exception of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. Effective January 1, 2007, the county was abolished and merged into Region Hovedstaden Københavns...
. In October 1996, a contract was signed with the Copenhagen Metro Construction Group (COMET) for building the lines (Civil Works), and with Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS S.p.A. is a multinational technology company which produces signalling and automation systems for use by rail and rapid transit operators. The firm also acts as lead contractor and turnkey provider on new rail developments...
for delivery of technological systems and trains, and to operate the system the first five years. COMET was a single-purpose consortium composed of Astaldi
Astaldi
Astaldi SpA is a major construction company based in Rome, Italy. The group is active in the fields of civil, hydraulic, electromechanical and environmental engineering, and transportation and infrastructure.-History:...
, Bachy
VINCI
Vinci is a French concessions and construction company, formerly called Société Générale d'Enterprises. It employs over 179,000 people and is the largest construction company in the world by revenue. Vinci is listed at Euronext's Paris stock exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index...
, SAE
Eiffage
-History:The company was formed in 1992 through the merger of several companies: Fougerolle , Quillery , Beugnet , and La Societe Auxiliaire d' Enterprises Electriques et de Travaux Public, better known as SAE .-Major projects:Recent projects have included the Channel Tunnel completed in 1994, the...
, Ilbau
Strabag
Strabag is a European construction company based in Villach, with its headquarters in Vienna, Austria). It is the largest construction company in Austria and one of the largest construction companies in Europe...
, NCC Rasmussen & Schiøtz Anlæg
Nordic Construction Company
NCC AB is a Swedish construction company, the second largest in the Nordic region with annual revenues of 49 billion Swedish krona and about 17,000 employees.-History:...
and Tarmac Construction.
Construction
Construction started in November 1996, with the moving of underground pipes and wires around the station areas. In August 1997, work started at the depot, and in September, COMET started the first mainline work. In October and November, the two tunnel boring machineTunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through anything from hard rock to sand. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
s (TMB), christened Liva and Bette, were delivered. They started boring each barrel of the tunnel from Islands Brygge
Islands Brygge station
Islands Brygge Station is a rapid transit station opened in 2002 on the Copenhagen Metro. The last underground station on the M1 line, it is built using the cut-and-cover method. Buses also serve the station. It is located in fare zone 1....
in February 1998. The same month, the Public Transport Authority
Public Transport Authority (Denmark)
The Public Transport Authority is a Danish government agency responsible for regulating, planning and safety relating to rail and public transport in Denmark. A subsidiary of the Ministry of Transport, the agency acts as the Danish railway authority, responsible for regulation, planning, safety,...
gave the necessary permits to operate a driverless metro. The section between Fasanvej
Fasanvej station
Fasanvej Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro in Frederiksberg, Denmark. It was known as Solbjerg Station until 25 September 2006. The station opened 12 October 2003, and serves the M1 and M2 lines...
and Frederiksberg
Frederiksberg station
Frederiksberg Station is a rapid transit station opened in 2003 on the Copenhagen Metro in Frederiksberg, Denmark. It serves the M1 and M2 lines and connects with bus services. It is located in fare zones 1 and 2...
is a former S-train line, and was last operated as such on 20 June 1998.
The first section of tunnel was completed in September 1998, and the TMBs moved to Havnegade. By December 1998, work had started on the initial nine stations. Plans for M2 were presented to the public in April 1999, with a debate emerging if the proposed elevated solution was the best. In May, the first trains were delivered, and trial runs began at the depot. In December, the tunnels were completed to Strandlodsvej, and the TMBs were moved to Havnegade, where they started to grind towards Frederiksberg. From 1 January 2000, the S-train service from Solbjerg
Fasanvej station
Fasanvej Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro in Frederiksberg, Denmark. It was known as Solbjerg Station until 25 September 2006. The station opened 12 October 2003, and serves the M1 and M2 lines...
to Vanløse was terminated, and work commenced to rebuild the section to metro. The last section of tunnel was completed in February 2001.
Headway
Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...
on each of the two services. From 3 December this was reduced to 9 minutes, and from 19 December to 6 minutes. Operation of the system was subcontracted to Ansaldo, who again subcontracted it to Metro Service, a subsidiary of Serco Group
Serco Group
Serco Group plc is a government services company based in Hook, North Hampshire in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
. The contract had a duration of five years, with an option for extension for another three.
M1 and M2
Trial runs on stage 2A began on 24 February 2003 and opened on 29 May. All changes to bus and train schedules in Copenhagen took place on 25 May, but to allow Queen Margrethe IIMargrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
to open the line, the opening needed to be adapted to her calendar. This caused four days without a bus service along the line. Stage 2B, from Frederiksberg to Vanløse, opened on 12 October.
Forum Station
Forum station
Forum Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro in Frederiksberg, Denmark. The station opened in 2003. It serves the M1 and M2 lines and connects with bus services. The station lies adjacent to Forum Copenhagen, a large special events venue, which has given the station its name...
was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture
European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture
The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture or Mies van der Rohe award is a prize given biennially by the European Union and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona, 'to acknowledge and reward quality architectural production in Europe'...
in 2005. On 2 December 2005, the final agreement to build the City Circle Line was made between the local and national governments. The price was estimated at 11.5 to 18.3 billion Danish krone
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
(DKK), of which DKK 5.4 billion will be financed though ticket sales, and the remaining from the state and municipalities. In 2006, it was announced that the contract with Ansaldo to operate the metro had been prolonged another three years. However, the subcontract between Ansaldo and Serco Group was not extended, and the contract was instead given to Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi is a public company, responsible for public transportation in Milan city and some surrounding municipalities, in Italy...
in joint venture with Ansaldo; they took over operations from October 2007. The Ørestad Development Corporation was discontinued in 2007, and the ownership of the metro was transferred to Metroselskabet I/S.
In January 2007, the city council decided that a branch was to be built during construction at Norreport, to allow a future branch line from the City Circle Line towards Brønshøj
Brønshøj
Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district of Brønshøj-Husum. Brønshøj lies on rising ground 4 km west of Copenhagen center and is bordered by the large wetland area of Utterslev Mose to the north. A number of ponds, lakes,...
. The start must be built at the same time as the City Circle Line, or face a multitude-higher construction cost and long interruptions of operations later. This did not involve a final decision, only an option for future construction. In March 2007, a proposal to establish a station at Valby
Valby
' is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, it is a heterogeneous mixture of different types of housing - including apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single-family houses and allotments, as well as remains...
, where the Carlsberg Group is planning an urban redevelopment, was scrapped. The proposal would have increased construction costs by DKK 900 million and was deemed not economical. The increased cost was, in part, due to an extra TBM being needed to complete the project on time. The City Circle Line was passed by parliament on 1 June 2007, with only the Red–Green Alliance
Red-Green Alliance (Denmark)
The Red-Green Alliance is a socialist political party in Denmark.- History :The party was formed in 1989 as an electoral alliance by three left-wing parties, Left Socialists , Communist Party of Denmark and Socialist Workers Party...
voting in disfavor.
The 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) stage 3 opened on 28 September 2007, from Lergravsparken to the airport. It followed, for the most part, the route of the former Amager Line
Amagerbanen
Amagerbanen was a Danish railroad line located on Amager, inaugurated on July 10, 1907, and closed on June 15, 1957.A mostly underground metro line, completed in 2007, was built along much of the same route as the original railroad.- External links :*...
of the Danish State Railways. With this stage complete, the 34 trains were delivered. However, the line caused a heated debate, with several locals organized themselves into the Amager Metro Group. The group argued that the line should have been built underground, citing concerns that it would create noise pollution and a physical barrier in Amager. In April 2008, the Copenhagen Metro won the award at MetroRail 2008 for the world's best metro. The jury noted the system's high regularity, safety and passenger satisfaction, as well as the efficient transport to the airport. During 2008, the metro experienced a 16% passenger growth to 44 million passengers per year.
An agreement made in September 2008, the Social Democrats
Social Democrats (Denmark)
The Social Democrats , is a Danish political party committed to the political ideology of social democracy. It is the major coalition partner in Denmark's government since the 2011 parliamentary election, and party leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt is the current Prime Minister of Denmark...
, the Conservative People's Party
Conservative People's Party (Denmark)
The Conservative People's Party , also known as Conservatives is a Danish political party.-History:The party was founded 1915 based mostly on its predecessor, Højre , but also on the Free Conservatives and a moderate faction of Venstre , the liberals.The party has participated in several coalition...
, the Liberal Party and the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
agreed to not fund an expansion of the metro northwest. Initially, the system operated trains from 01:00 to 05:00 only on Thursdays through Saturdays, but, starting on 19 March 2009, night service was extended to the rest of the week. This caused a logistical challenge, because Metro Service used the nights for maintenance. The routes were therefore set up in such a way that the system could be operated on only a single track, leaving the other free for work. In May 2009, six companies were pre-qualified to bid for the public service obligation
Public Service Obligation
In transport, public service obligation or PSO is an arrangement in which a governing body or other authority offers an auction for subsidies, permit the winning company a monopoly to operate a specified service of public transport for a specified period of time for the given subsidy...
to operate the metro. These were Serco–NedRailways, Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS S.p.A. is a multinational technology company which produces signalling and automation systems for use by rail and rapid transit operators. The firm also acts as lead contractor and turnkey provider on new rail developments...
, Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
, S-Bahn Hamburg
Hamburg S-Bahn
The Hamburg S-Bahn is a railway network for public rapid mass transit in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Together the S-Bahn, the Hamburg U-Bahn, the AKN railway and the regional railway form the backbone of railway public transport in the city and the surrounding area...
, Keolis
Keolis
Keolis is the largest private sector French transport group. It runs passenger railways, tramways, bus networks, funiculars, trolley buses, and airport services. The company, based in Paris, is majority owned by SNCF, the French state rail operator. AXA Private Equity and Caisse de dépôt et...
and DSB Metro—a joint venture between DSB and RATP. The process was delayed because of a procedural error by Metroselskabet, who failed to pre-qualify DSB Metro.
Route
The metro consists of two lines, M1 and M2. They share a common section from Vanløse to ChristianshavnChristianshavn station
Christianshavn Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro, served by the M1 and M2 lines. The station is located centrally in the Christianshavn district. It is located in fare zone 1 and opened in 2002. It is notable for having a different layout than other underground stations on...
, where they split along two lines: M1 follows the Ørestad Line to Vestamager, while M2 follows the Østamager Line to the airport. The lines have 22 stations and are 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi) long, of which 9 stations and 7.4 kilometres (4.6 mi) km are on the common section. M1 is 13.7 kilometres (8.5 mi) long and has 15 stations, while M2 is 14.2 kilometres (8.8 mi) long and has 16 stations. About 10 kilometres (6 mi) of the lines and 9 stations are in tunnel, located at 20 metre below ground level. The remaining sections are on embankments
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
, viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s or at ground level.
The section from Vanløse to Frederiksberg follows the Frederiksberg Line, a former S-train line which runs on an embankment. Between Solbjerg and Frederiksberg, the line runs underground, and continues through the city center. After Christianshavn, the line splits in two. M1 reaches ground level at Islands Brygge, and continues on a viaduct through the Vestamager
Vestamager
Vestamager most often refers to Kalvebod Fælled, but is also the name of one of the 15 administrative, statistical, and tax city districts comprising the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark. It lies on the south border of the municipality on the island of Amager...
area. M2 continues in tunnel until after Lergravsparken, where it starts to follow the former Amager Line.
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
at about 30 metres (98.4 ft) depth, but are elevated slightly at stations. There are emergency exits every 600 metres (1,968.5 ft), so the train is at any time not further than 300 metres (984.3 ft) away from one. The outer tunnel diameter is 5.5 metres (18 ft), while the inner diameter is 4.9 metres (16.1 ft). The tunnels were excavated by the cut-and-cover method, the New Austrian Tunnelling method
New Austrian Tunnelling method
The New Austrian Tunnelling method was developed between 1957 and 1965 in Austria. It was given its name in Salzburg in 1962 to distinguish it from old Austrian tunnelling approach. The main contributors to the development of NATM were Ladislaus von Rabcewicz, Leopold Müller and Franz Pacher...
and by tunnel boring machine
Tunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through anything from hard rock to sand. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
s (TBM). Along the elevated sections, the tracks run on alternating sections of separate reinforced concrete viaducts and joint embankments made of reinforced earth.
Service
The system operates continually with a varying headwayHeadway
Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...
throughout the day. During rush hour (07:00–10:00 and 15:00–18:00), there is a two-minute headway on the common section and a four-minute headway on the single-service sections. During Thursday through Saturday night (24:00–05:00), the headway is fifteen minutes, and other nights it is twenty minutes on all sections of the metro. At all other times, there is a three-minute headway on the common section and a six-minute on the split sections. Travel time from Nørreport to Vestamager on M1 is 14 minutes, to the airport on M2 is 15 minutes, and to Vanløse on M1 and M2 is 9 minutes. In 2009, the metro transported 50 million passengers, or 137,000 per day.
Proof-of-payment
Proof-of-payment or POP is an honor-based fare collection approach used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, proof-of-payment requires that each passenger carry a ticket or pass proving that they have paid the fare. Ticket...
system, so riders must have a valid ticket before entering the station platforms. The system is divided into zones
Fare
A fare is the fee paid by a passenger allowing him or her to make use of a public transport system: rail, bus, taxi, etc. In the case of air transport, the term airfare is often used.-Uses:...
, and the fare structure is integrated with other public transport in Copenhagen, including the buses managed by Movia, local DSB trains and the S-train. The system lies within four different zones. Ticket machine
Ticket machine
A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine , is a vending machine that produces tickets. For instance, ticket machines dispense train tickets at railway stations and tram tickets at some tram stops and in some trams...
s are available at all stations, where special tickets for dogs and bicycles can also be purchased. A two-zone ticket costs DKK 23, a three-zone ticket DKK 34.50 and a four-zone ticket DKK 46. Discounts are available for multi-ride tickets and children. Tickets must be stamped to be validated. Monthly passes cost DKK 320,- for two zones and DKK 585,- for four zones. Holders of the Copenhagen Card museum pass ride free of charge, as do up to two children under twelve years of age accompanied by an adult. Between 2010 and 2012, the metro will adapt the national electronic fare card system Rejsekort
Rejsekort
Rejsekort is a, electronic ticket system for public transport in Denmark. The system is a collaborative work between DSB, HUR, Ørestadsselskabet, and various regional bus companies, and work on it started on August 18, 2003...
.
The system is integrated with other public transport in Copenhagen. There is transfer to the S-train at Vanløse, Flintholm
Flintholm station
Flintholm Station is an important S-train and Metro interchange station in Copenhagen, Denmark. Opened on 24 January 2004, it is located in the west of Copenhagen where the Frederikssund S-train Line crosses the S-train Ring Line. It is located in fare zone 2....
and Nørreport, to DSB's local trains at Nørreport, Ørestad
Ørestad station
Ørestad Station is a railway and Metro station situated in the middle of the new city of Ørestad in Copenhagen, Denmark. The M1 and regional trains to Copenhagen Airport, the city centre, and Malmö are served from the station. It is in fare zone 3....
and Lufthavnen, and to Copenhagen Airport at Lufthavnen. There are transfers to Movia bus services at all but four stations.
The system is owned by Metroselskabet, who is also responsible for building the City Circle Line. The company is owned by Copenhagen Municipality (50.0%), the Ministry of Transport (41.7%) and Frederiksberg Municipality (8.3%). The company is organized with as few employees as possible. Construction and operation is subcontracted through public tenders, while consultants are used for planning. The contract to operate the system was made with Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS S.p.A. is a multinational technology company which produces signalling and automation systems for use by rail and rapid transit operators. The firm also acts as lead contractor and turnkey provider on new rail developments...
, who has subcontracted it to Metro Service, a joint venture between them and Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi
Azienda Trasporti Milanesi is a public company, responsible for public transportation in Milan city and some surrounding municipalities, in Italy...
(ATM), the public transport company of the city of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy. The company has about 200 employees, the majority who work as stewards.
Stations
There are twenty-two stationsMetro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
on the network, of which nine are underground and six are deep-level. They were all designed by KHR Arkitekter
KHR Arkitekter
KHR Arkitekter A/S, formerly known as KHRAS, is a Danish architecture company founded as Krohn & Hartvig Rasmussen in 1946. The company was founded by Gunnar Krohn and E. Hartvig Rasmussen. During the 1960s, the company started focusing on European styles applied to public buildings in Denmark...
, who created open stations with daylight. Stations have an information column in front, marked with a large 'M' and featuring information screens. All stations have a vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
at ground level, which has ticket and local information, ticket machines and validators. The stations are built with island platforms and are fully accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
for people with disabilities.
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
. Access to the track is blocked by platform screen doors. The underground stations were built as cut-and-cover from the top down (except Christianshavn, which was excavated as a large hole and the station built bottom-up), and the first part of construction was building a water-tight wall on all sides. There are glass pyramids on the roof of the stations permitting daylight to enter. Inside the pyramids, there are prism
Prism (optics)
In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...
s reflecting and splitting the light, sometimes resulting in rainbows on the walls. The light in the stations is automatically regulated to make best use of the daylight and maintain a constant level of illumination of the stations at all times.
The elevated stations are built in glass, concrete and steel to minimize their visual impact. Outside, there is parking for bicycles, cars, buses and taxis. The platforms are open, but have sheds, and automatic sensors that halt trains if obstacles are detected on the tracks.
Trains
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s built by AnsaldoBreda and designed by Giugiaro Design of Italy.
The trains are 39 metres (128 ft) long, 2.65 metres (8.7 ft) wide, and weigh 52 tonnes (51.2 LT). Each train consists of three articulated cars with a total of six automated, 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) wide doors, holding up to 96 seated and 204 standing passengers. There are four large 'flex areas' in each train with folding seats providing space for wheelchairs, strollers and bicycles.
Each car is equipped with two three-phase
Three-phase
In electrical engineering, three-phase electric power systems have at least three conductors carrying voltage waveforms that are radians offset in time...
asynchronous
Induction motor
An induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...
105 kW motors
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
, giving each train a power output of 630 kW. In each car, the two motors are fed by the car's own insulated-gate bipolar transistor. They transform the 750-volt direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
collected from the third rail shoe
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
to the three-phase alternating current used in the motors. The trains' top speed are 80 km/h (49.7 mph), while the average service speed is 40 km/h (24.9 mph), with an acceleration and deceleration capacity of 1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) along the standard-gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
track.
The entire metro system and the trains are run by a fully automated computer system, located at the Control and Maintenance Center south of Vestamanger Station. The automatic train control
Automatic Train Control
Automatic Train Control is a train protection system for railways, ensuring the safe and smooth operation of trains on ATC-enabled lines. Its main advantages include making possible the use of cab signalling instead of track-side signals and the use of smooth deceleration patterns in lieu of the...
(ATC) consists of three subsystems: automatic train protection
Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...
(ATP), automatic train operation
Automatic train operation
Automatic train operation ensures partial or complete automatic train piloting and driverless functions.Most systems elect to maintain a driver to mitigate risks associated with failures or emergencies....
(ATO) and automatic train supervisory (ATS). The ATP is responsible for keeping the trains' speed, insuring that doors are closed before departure and insuring that switches
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
are correct set. The system uses fixed block signaling, except around stations, where moving block signaling is used.
Autopilot
An autopilot is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being. An autopilot can refer specifically to aircraft, self-steering gear for boats, or auto guidance of space craft and missiles...
that runs the trains on a predefined schedule, insures that the trains stop at the station and opens the doors. The ATS keeps track of all the components in the network, including the rails and all of the trains in the system, and displays a live schematic at the control centre. The ATC is designed so that the ATP is the only safety-critical system, as it would halt the trains if the other systems fail. The safety and signaling specifications are based on the German BOStrab
BOStrab
The Verordnung über den Bau und Betrieb der Straßenbahnen is a German law governing regulations for tramway, metro and light rail operations....
, and controlled by TÜV Rheinland
TÜV Rheinland
TÜV Rheinland is a global provider of technical, safety and certification services. Originally called the Dampfkessel-Überwachungs-Vereine , TÜV Rheinland was founded in 1872 and has its headquarters in Cologne, Germany...
and Det Norske Veritas
Det Norske Veritas
Stiftelsen Det Norske Veritas is a classification society organized as a foundation, with the objective of "Safeguarding life, property, and the environment". The organization's history goes back to 1864, when the foundation was established in Norway to inspect and evaluate the technical condition...
under supervision of the Public Transport Authority. Other aspects of the system, such a power supply, ventilation, security alarms, cameras and pumps, are controlled by a system called "control, regulating and surveillance".
The Control and Maintenance Center is an 1.1 hectares (2.7 acre) facility located at the south end of M1. It consists of a storage area for trains not in use, a maintenance area and the control facility. Trains operate automatically through the system, and can also automatically be washed on the exterior. The facility has 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of track, of which 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) is a test track for use after maintenance. The most common repairs are the grinding of the wheels; more complicated repairs are made by replacing entire components that are sent to the manufacturer. By having components in reserve, trains can have shorter maintenance time. The center also has several maintenance trains, including a diesel locomotive that is able retrieve broken down or disabled trains.
At any time, there are four people working at the control centre: two monitor the ATC system, one monitors passenger information, and one is responsible for secondary systems, such as power supply. In case of technical problems, there is always a team of linemen that can be dispatched to perform repairs. Although the trains are not equipped with drivers, there are stewards at stations and on some trains that help passengers, perform ticket controls and assist in emergency situations.
Future
An expansion of the metro, the City Circle Line, is under-construction and scheduled to open in 2018. Independent of the existing system, it will circle the city center and connect the areas of ØsterbroØsterbro
Østerbro is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located just north of the city centre, outside the old city gate Østerport which, after it was moved around 1700, used to be located close to present-day Østerport Station...
, Nørrebro
Nørrebro
Nørrebro is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is northwest of the city centre, beyond the location of the old Northern Gate , which, until dismantled in 1856, was near the current Nørreport station.-Geography:...
and Vesterbro to Frederiksberg and Indre By
Indre By
Indre By , also known as Copenhagen Center or K or Downtown Copenhagen or City, is one of the 15 administrative, statistical, and tax city districts comprising the municipality of Copenhagen, Denmark...
. The line will be 15.5 kilometres (9.6 mi) long and run entirely in tunnel. The circle will have 17 stations, and it will take 25 minutes to complete a full circle. Archaeological and geological surveys started in 2007, preferred bidders were announced in November 2010 and construction of the tunnels is planned to commence in 2010.
The line will operate as M3 and M4. The former will run a full circle, while M4 will only operate on the eastern half from Copenhagen Central Station (København H) via Østerport
Østerport station
Østerport station is a railway station in Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is served by most S-trains, Kystbanen and other regional trains, as well as some InterCity trains.The station is used by approximately 30,000 passengers each day.-History:...
to Nørrebro
Nørrebro station
Nørrebro station is a station on the S-train’s Ring line in Copenhagen, Denmark. It serves the outer end of the Nørrebro district. The planned City Circle Line would see underground trains of the Copenhagen Metro begin serving the station as well....
. Trains will operate both ways through the circle. The line will have transfer to M1 and M2 at Frederiksberg and Kongens Nytorv
Kongens Nytorv station
Kongens Nytorv Station is a rapid transit station on the Copenhagen Metro, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located under Kongens Nytorv plaza, in fare zone 1.-Station layout:...
. The line is estimated to carry 240,000 daily passengers, bringing the metro's total daily ridership to 460,000.
A further expansion of the City Circle Line has been proposed, where M4 would divert at Nørrebro and run to the suburbs of Brønshøj
Brønshøj
Brønshøj, part of the municipality of Copenhagen, forms, together with Husum, the administrative city district of Brønshøj-Husum. Brønshøj lies on rising ground 4 km west of Copenhagen center and is bordered by the large wetland area of Utterslev Mose to the north. A number of ponds, lakes,...
and Gladsaxe
Gladsaxe
Gladsaxe Kommune is a municipality near Copenhagen in Region Hovedstaden on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 25 km², and has a total population of 62,562...
. There are two proposals, one with four stations that runs to Husum
Husum station
Husum station is a station on the Frederikssund radial of the S-train network in Copenhagen, Denmark. It serves the area around the former village Husum, and is also the S-train station that is easiest to reach by bus from Mørkhøj in Gladsaxe and parts of northern Rødovre municipality.-History:The...
, and one with nine stations that will run to Gladsaxe. The authorities are also considering light rail and bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
. The longer proposal would be 10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi) long, give a 400% increase in public transport ridership in the area, and cost DKK 9.3 billion to build.
In September 2011, the local governments in Copenhagen and neighbouring Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
in Sweden announced that they were seeking European Union funding to study a potential metro line under the Øresund to the neighbourhood of Malmö Central Station
Malmö Central Station
Malmö Central Station is a terminus railway station on the Southern Main Line in Malmö, Sweden opened in 1876. It serves approximately 55 000 passengers every day, making it the second busiest in Sweden behind Stockholm Central Station-History:...
, providing faster trips and additional capacity beyond that of the existing Øresund Bridge. The study will consider both a simple shuttle between the two stations and a continuous line integrated with the local transport networks on each side, and they anticipate a travel time of 15 minutes between the two city centres.