M3 and M4 close briefly to prepare for metro opening
Facts about M4
- The M4 extension consists of five new metro stations in Copenhagen: Havneholmen, Enghave Brygge, Sluseholmen, Mozarts Plads and Copenhagen South.
- After opening, the total metro network will consist of 44 metro stations and 43 kilometres of track.
- With the opening, it will be possible to switch between metro and S-trains at eight stations and between metro and regional trains at six stations.
- When the new stations open, the Metro will offer a journey time between Copenhagen South and City Hall Square of approximately 10 minutes and between Copenhagen South and Frederiksberg of approximately 17 minutes.
- The metro line runs around the clock with high frequency and will better connect the new urban development areas and existing urban areas in Sydhavn and Valby.
- From 2030, the five new stations are expected to have approximately eight million passengers annually. In the first few years after opening, the annual passenger numbers will be lower because experience shows that it takes time for users to get used to a new line.
- Overall, more than 135 million passengers are expected to travel on the Metro by 2024.
With only a month and a half until the opening of the new M4 metro line to Sydhavn and Valby, the final part of the testing phase is underway. As part of this, metro lines M3 and M4 will be closed briefly for part of Whitsun.
The closure of the M3 and M4 will take place from 3 am on Saturday 18 May until 8 pm on Sunday 19 May. The metro will then be fully operational again for the Royal Run on Whit Monday.
The suspension of operations is necessary to prepare for the opening of the new metro line to Sydhavn and Valby, which opens to passengers on 22 June. During the so-called Trial Run phase, the system is adjusted for any errors, and staff responsible for operations and maintenance build routine with the new system and the many procedures associated with it.
"We're briefly shutting down the M3 and M4 to open the new metro extension to Sydhavn and Valby on 22 June. We have tried to plan the closure to minimise inconvenience to our passengers, which is why we have scheduled it for the weekend of Pentecost, when many of our passengers are off work anyway," explains Erik Skotting, director at Metroselskabet.
Facts about the project
- Construction of the metro extension to Sydhavn and Valby began in August 2018.
- The project has stayed on schedule despite challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic and supply chain pressures.
- The total budget for the Sydhavn Metro is just under DKK 10 billion (2021 prices).
- The metro extension is 5.7 kilometres long (from Copenhagen H to Copenhagen S).
Contractors and consultants on the metro extension
- TUNN3L JV is constructing the five new metro stations and tunnels.
- Rhomberg EFACEC JV builds track and power supply.
- Hitachi supplies the control system, cables in tunnels and trains.
- As a subcontractor to Hitachi, Metro Service will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Metro.
- COWI and Systra are Metroselskabet's consultants on the project.
- Aarsleff Rail is building the shared transfer area between Metro, S-trains and other trains in Copenhagen
Final phase before passenger operation
During the short closure, there will be a trial run, the so-called Trial Run, which is the last important milestone before final approval from the authorities to operate with passengers.
During this final test period, regular operations and maintenance will also be trained, where employees will be tested to perform the right procedures, adhere to timetables and handle unexpected situations where systems do not behave as they should, among other things.
"In the Trial Run phase, we practice normal operations, which includes deploying extra trains during rush hour and testing the interaction between operations and maintenance," says Erik Skotting.
"It is a great pleasure to have reached this point where we can now very soon open five new metro stations for both current and future customers. It has been a construction phase with huge global challenges such as COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, which has made the construction even more complex. We are therefore proud to finish as planned, so we can deliver the expected benefits that the Metro brings," says Erik Skotting.
However, regardless of how well the trial runs, it is only natural that there will be minor disruptions when the system meets passengers in the initial period after opening. Metroselskabet, together with the operator, is fully focused on preventing and minimising any inconvenience to passengers and solving any problems that may arise.
When the M4 extension opens, passengers can travel directly between Orientkaj in Nordhavn and Copenhagen South in Valby. Along the way, you can transfer to the M3 Cityring at six stations and to the M1 and M2 lines at Kongens Nytorv. In addition, it will be possible to change between S-trains and regional trains at Copenhagen South, Copenhagen H and Østerport and S-trains at Nordhavn.
Metro buses will be deployed during the short-term closure of the M3 and M4 - see where the metro buses will leave from.