METRO authority Metroselskabet has prequalified three bidders to proceed to the tender process for a 12-year contract to operate Copenhagen’s 43km automated metro network, comprising four lines serving a total of 44 stations.
With driverless trains operating at headways of 1min 30sec in the peaks, the network carries around 400,000 passengers each weekday. In 2024 a new ridership record of 126 million passengers was set.
The prequalified bidders for the new operating contract are:
- KBH Metro Partner, comprising RATP Dev, SBS Transit Rail, ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink, and Westbus Coach Services
- Keolis Denmark, and
- Metro Service, comprising Milan public transport operator ATM.
Selected from what Metroselskabet describes as a strong field of applicants, the three prequalified bidders all have “solid experience” of operating similar metro networks, according to the authority.
A joint venture of ATM and Hitachi Rail holds the current operating contract which expires on September 28 2027. RATP Dev has partnered with ComfortDelGro, participating via metro and bus operating company SBS Transit active in its home market of Singapore, as well as British subsidiary Westbus and Irish Citylink.
The three prequalified bidders will now be able to inspect the Copenhagen network before submitting their initial bids. The tender is being conducted on a negotiated basis, with bidders to submit final bids following negotiation.
Metroselskabet expects to sign the contract in September 2026, followed by a mobilisation phase for operations to start on September 29 2027. The new contract will run until 2039 with three-year extension option.
“We are satisfied with the field of applicants for prequalification and the interest that the tender has generated, both through the preceding market dialogue and the applications we have received,” says Søren Boysen, director of operations and maintenance at Metroselskabet.
