Metroselskabet postpones setting the M3 line opening date
Facts about the M3 line
- The 17 new metro stations will connect the bridge neighbourhoods with Frederiksberg and the M3 line, while the City Ring will also be expanded with connections to both Nordhavn and Sydhavn.
- Once the M3 line is open, the number of journeys on the Metro is expected to double with approximately 122 million passengers in 2020.
The largest and most complicated works on the M3 line - such as the deep underground tunnelling and difficult concrete structures - are long over. What remains is a series of smaller-scale works that are crucial for the capital's new metro network to receive the final authorisation to open for passengers.
One of the important milestones in the final phase, which is crucial to the completion of the M3 line, is the so-called RHO (Ready for Handover) milestone. According to the contract, it should be achieved by the end of March 2019.
Metroselskabet has informed the contractor CMT that the RHO milestone has not been achieved. This is because there is still a significant number of tests and physical works at the stations that should have been completed.
‘In the big picture, there are minor things that are missing, but there is little time left to achieve the last one. Not reaching the milestone will delay the M3 line if we fail to optimise the final work. It is still possible to open as planned if all parties work hard and deliver an efficient and coordinated effort. Right now, together with the two contractors, we are analysing whether we can optimise the final work,’ says Henrik Plougmann Olsen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Metroselskabet.
The consequence of not reaching the milestone is that CMT is subject to daily fines. The penalties will continue until CMT has achieved the RHO milestone. At the same time, the contractor will be required to complete the outstanding work in accordance with the agreements made.
‘It's unfortunate that we can't announce an opening date as we had planned. But there is an important milestone that has not been met. Now we have to put all our efforts into catching up on the missing work, and there is still a chance that we can do it on schedule. Naturally, we will do our utmost to avoid delays and are therefore trying to get the parties to quickly agree on a solution,’ says Henrik Plougmann Olsen.
Over the next few weeks, Metroselskabet will work with the two contractors, CMT and Ansaldo STS, to analyse whether there are opportunities to further optimise the implementation of the remaining work so that the overall schedule can be maintained. The Company expects to be able to announce an opening date for the M3 line in June.