Copenhagen Metro Services

Copenhagen Metro Services

The system operates 24/7 with a varying headway 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 (0:00–05:00) on the M1 and M2 lines there is a seven/eight-minute headway on the common section and a fifteen-minute headway on the single-service sections, 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 single-service 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.

During rush hour (07:00–10:00 and 15:00–18:00), on the M3 (Cityringen) there is a three-minute headway. During Thursday through Saturday night (0:00–05:00) on M3 there is a six-minute headway (one direction), while in the weekend it is twelve-minutes (two directions). At all other times, there is a four/five-minute headway. Travel time of the Cityringen M3 is 29 minutes. During Thursday through Saturday night (0:00–05:00) on the M4 there is a twelve minute headway between Osterport and Orientkaj stations, while in the weekend it is a ten minute headway between Kobenhavn H Central Station and Orientkaj Station.

At all other times, there is a six/ten-minute headway. Travel time of the M4 is 12 minutes (only 3 minutes late night between Osterport and Orientkaj stations). In 2009, the metro transported 50 million passengers, or 137,000 per day, by 2013, the metro's ridership increased to 55 million.

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 machines are available at all stations, where special tickets for dogs and bicycles can also be purchased.

A two-zone ticket costs DKK 24, and a three-zone ticket DKK 36, and tickets are good for 60 minutes. 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. As of 2012, the metro has fully adapted to the national electronic fare card system Rejsekort. Outside the Central zones, the outer zones are divided into sub-zones and ticketing can be a bit confusing for visitors familiar with how zones work in London or Berlin. Passengers must specify, on their ticket which sub-zone they wish to travel to.

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 285 employees, the majority of whom work as stewards.

Copenhagen Metro Stations

There are 37 stations on the network. Of the initial 22 stations on lines M1 and M2, nine are underground and six of these 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 below 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 deep-level stations are built as rectangular, open boxes 60 m (196 ft 10 in) long, 20 m (65 ft 7 in) wide and 20 m (65 ft 7 in) deep. The platforms are located 18 m (59 ft 1 in) 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 on M1 and M2 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 prisms 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. Access to the trains are blocked by platform screen doors.

Copenhagen Metro Trains

The system uses 64 driverless electric multiple units built by Hitachi Rail Italy and designed by Giugiaro Design of Italy called the Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro.

The trains are 39 m (127 ft 11+3⁄8 in) long, 2.65 m (8 ft 8+3⁄8 in) wide, and weigh 52 t (51 long tons, 57 short tons). Each train consists of three articulated cars with a total of six automated, 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) wide doors, holding up to 96 seated and 204 standing passengers (300 in total). 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 (141 hp) motors, giving each train a power output of 630 kW (840 hp). In each car, the two motors are fed by the car's own IGBT motor drive. 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 (50 mph), while the average service speed is 40 km/h (25 mph), with an acceleration and deceleration capacity of 1.3 m/s/s (2.9 mph/s) along the standard-gauge track.

Copenhagen Metro Operations

The entire metro system and the trains are run by a fully automated computer system, located at the two Control and Maintenance Centers, south of Vestamager Station (M1 + M2), and at Sydhavnen (M3 + M4). 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, ensuring that doors are closed before departure and switches are correctly 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, ensures that the trains stop at the station and open 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 center. 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 as power supply, ventilation, security alarms, cameras and pumps, are controlled by a system called "control, regulating and surveillance".

Vestamager CMC

The Control and Maintenance Center is a 1.1-hectare (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 km (3.1 mi) of track, of which 800 m (870 yd) is a test track for use after maintenance. The most common repairs are wheel grinding, 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 depot also has several maintenance trains, including diesel locomotives that are able to retrieve broken down or disabled trains.

At any time, there are four or five people working at the control center: 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 linepeople that can be dispatched to perform repairs. Although the trains are not equipped with drivers, there are stewards at stations and on most trains that help passengers, perform ticket controls and assist in emergency situations.

Copenhagen Metro Overview

Copenhagen Metro Native Name: Københavns Metro
Copenhagen Metro Owner: Metroselskabet I/S
Copenhagen Metro Locale: Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen Metro Transit Type: Light rapid transit
Copenhagen Metro Number of Lines: 4
Copenhagen Metro Line Number: M1, M2, M3, M4
Copenhagen Metro Number of Stations: 44
Copenhagen Metro Daily Ridership: 360,000 (daily)
Copenhagen Metro Annual Ridership: 120 million (2023)
Copenhagen Metro Chief Executive: Carsten Riis, CEO
Copenhagen Metro Began Operation: 19 October 2002
Copenhagen Metro Operator(s): Inmetro
Copenhagen Metro Number of Vehicles:
34 AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro (M1+M2)
30 Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro (M3+M4)
Copenhagen Metro Train Length: 3 cars
Copenhagen Metro Headway: 2–4 minutes
Copenhagen Metro System Length: 43.3 km (26.9 mi)
Copenhagen Metro Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Copenhagen Metro Electrification: 750 V DC third rail
Copenhagen Metro Average Speed: 40 km/h (25 mph)
Copenhagen Metro Top Speed:
M1 and M2: 80 km/h (50 mph)
M3 and M4: 90 km/h (56 mph)