Great interest in operating the Metro in Copenhagen – three tenderers will proceed in the tender process
Facts about the Metro in Operation:
- The Metro has four lines in total: M1 (opened in 2002), M2 (2002), M3 (2019), M4 (2020/2024)
- The metro system consists of a total of 44 stations and 43 kilometres of track.
- The Copenhagen Metro was among the first systems in the world with driverless trains.
- M4 will be extended with two stations to Outer Nordhavn in 2030.
- The Metro has intervals as short as 1½ minutes between departures during peak hours.
- In 2024, the average operational stability was 99 pct.
- The Metro has approximately 400,000 travellers per weekday.
- In 2024, 126 million passengers travelled with the Metro, which is the highest number of passengers in the Metro's history.
Three tenderers are competing to operate and maintain the Metro starting from 2027, after Metroselskabet has selected the prequalified tenderers from a strong field of applicants.
The prequalified tenderers are:
- KBH Metro Partner ApS, with the support companies RATP Development SA, Regie Autonome Des Transports Parisiens, SBS Transit Rail Pte. Ltd, ComfortDelgro Irish Citylink Limited and Westbus Coach Services Limited.
- Keolis Denmark A/S
- Metro Service A/S with the support company Azienda Trasporti Milanesi S.p.A.
”We are satisfied with the field of applicants for prequalification and the interest that the tender has generated—both through the preceding market dialogues and the applications we have received,” says Søren Boysen, Director of Operations and Maintenance at Metroselskabet.
Metroselskabet has, over several years, prepared the tender with the aim of attracting more qualified tenderers to ultimately secure the best possible contract. The primary objective for the winning operator is to contribute to ensuring continued high stability in operations in close collaboration with Metroselskabet.
We are looking forward to proceeding with the prequalified tenderers, so we can ensure that we can also deliver a strong transport offer to our customers in the future,
Facts about the Tender Process:
- It is an EU tender conducted with negotiation with prequalification.
- The current operations and maintenance contract for the metro lines expires on September 28, 2027, and therefore Metroselskabet is now tendering a new contract with operations starting on September 29, 2027.
- Now follows the submission of initial offers, negotiations, and revised/final offers are submitted
- Metroselskabet expects to sign the contract in September 2026
- The upcoming contract runs until 2039 with an option for an additional three years.
The process
Metroselskabet's current operation and maintenance contract with the operator expires on September 28, 2027. Therefore, the company initiated an EU tender on June 30, 2025, to enter a new contract.
With three prequalified tenderers, a period now follows where the prequalified tenderers will have the opportunity to inspect the system, after which they submit their initial bids, engage in continued negotiations, and submit revised bids. Metroselskabet expects to be able to sign the contract in September 2026. This will be followed by a mobilization phase to prepare for the new contract period with operations starting on September 29, 2027.