Copenhagen Metro

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Image:Copenhagen metro logo.png The Metro is a rail rapid transit system serving Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, Denmark. The system which opened in 2002, has two lines with 17 stations.

The Metro has inspired other European cities with plans to build or expand metro networks. These include the Italian cities of Brescia, Rome, and Milan and Greek Thessaloniki, and all have signed contracts with Ansaldo, the provider of the Metro. [1]

It is operated by Ørestadsselskabet I/S (Ørestad Development Corporation).

1 History of the Metro
2 The Network
3 See also
4 External links

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History of the Metro

The Metro was built largely as a result of a report from 1992 on the future of transport in Copenhagen. It was one of several proposals for a future transport grid to newly developing areas of Amager which were and are not served by the S-Train network. Large areas of the island slightly to the south of central Copenhagen were still unused or in agricultural use. They were so valuable, however, that the city decided to develop them as part of the Ørestad Project in conjunction with the construction of the Øresund Bridge. It was decided that an efficient transport grid should be built in advance of or in conjunction with new buildings in order to avoid the disorganisation that often hampers cities that develop organically.

The final plans in 1996 for the initial construction of the Metro consisted of two lines that would follow the same stretch from the Vanløse district through the centre of the city and out on Amager, where they would split into a western (M1) and an eastern (M2) line. M1 and M2 opened in 2002 and were both expanded to their current length in 2003.

A number of technical problems, especially with the automated doors, plagued the first years of the Metro system, but most of these have been resolved. Overall, the Metro, carrying about 120,000 passengers a day, is well-incorporated into the existing public transport grid that consists of S-trains and buses.

In December 2005, Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities agreed on expanding the Metro network with a Metro circle line that is scheduled for completion in 2017.

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The Network

Image:Kopenhagen metro.png

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Lines

The Metro runs on underground as well as overground standard gauge tracks, and it operates at 750 V DC provided by a third rail. Most of the tracks on Amager and some of the tracks towards Vanløse are run overground, but the Metro runs underground in the city centre. The tunnels have been built using three different tunnelling methods: boring using tunnel boring machines (TBM), Cut-and-cover, and the New Austrian Tunnelling method (NATM). There is GSM coverage in the tunnels. The tracks are elevated from ground level on western Amager, and the stretch from Solbjerg to Vanløse is on an embankment.

The two lines have a total of 17 stations and a total length of 16.8 km.

Line	Colour	Stretch	Opened	Length	Stations
M1	Green	Vanløse ⇌ Vestamager	2002	14.3 km	15
M2	Yellow	Vanløse ⇌ Lergravsparken	2002	10.2 km	11

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Stations

Image:Kopenhage Metro Ørestad.jpg There are 17 stations on the existing Metro network. 9 of these are underground stations, and of them 6 are deep level and 3 are just below the ground. The deep level stations are situated about 20 metres below ground. All deep level stations have escalators and a lift. The underground stations have platform screen doors to prevent people from walking on the tracks and entering the tunnels. The overground stations do not have screen doors, but there are sensitive, automatic security measures instantly stopping the trains if people jump onto the tracks. Once stopped, the trains need to be restarted manually. The overground stations are elevated from ground level on western Amager. All the stations are 60 metres long and 20 metres wide. Since there is no gap between the station platforms and the trains, wheelchair users can use the Metro without help from other people. Image:Copenhagen Metro Train Interior.jpg

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Trains

The Metro trains are designed by Giugiaro Design team in Italy, and are driverless, meaning that they are run by a computer system. There are Metro Stewards on the trains, however. Their job is to provide the passengers with information and to check tickets. The trains are 39 metres long, 2.65 metres wide, and weigh 52 tonnes. Their top speed is 80 km/h, and the average service speed is 40 km/h. Each train consists of three cars that can hold 96 seated and 204 standing passengers combined. There are four large "flex areas" in each train with folding seats providing space for wheelchairs, strollers, and bicycles. Each train has six automated doors. Since the trains are comparatively small, they are meant to transport people quickly over short distances with very short intervals (two minutes during rush hours in the city centre).

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Tickets

The Metro uses the same zone system as the S-Trains and the buses in Copenhagen, and they all use the same tickets and cards. There are ticket machines that accept Danish coins and various credit and debit cards, on all stations.

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Future

An expansion to M2 that will lead the Metro from Lergravsparken along the eastern coast of Amager to Copenhagen Airport in Tårnby is currently under construction, and is scheduled for completion in late 2007.

The Danish government has accepted a proposal for a Metro circle line (The City Ring) to connect areas of the city centre which are not well-covered by the S-Trains or the existing Metro lines. The Ørestad Development Corporation predicts that the lines M3 and M4 will carry about 275,000 passengers per day. About 25% of these would be people who do not currently use public transport, meaning that rush hour traffic congestion should become much less severe in central Copenhagen. It will use the same station and train types as the two existing Metro lines, but, unlike the M1 and M2 lines, will run entirely underground. Construction costs are expected to be around €2 billion, and it is scheduled to finish in 2017.

Future plans to extend the Metro out to Copenhagen's suburbs are being considered.

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