København’s orbital light rail line spanning 28 kilometers between Ishøj and Lundtofte was completed on August 22, 2026, with the opening of the 14.9 km final section from Rødovre Nord to Lundtofte. The inaugural service departed Rødovre Nord at 10:30 carrying invited guests, progressing along the extension with ribbon-cutting ceremonies at several of the 17 new stops. Passenger services were introduced progressively during the event, reaching full bidirectional operations by 11:30 on opening day. Main celebrations took place at Gladsaxe Rådhus, where an official ceremony was combined with a public festival. Travel was free across the entire line on opening
day, with approximately 50,000 passengers recorded.
Construction Timeline, Contractors, and Budget
Construction of the orbital line began in 2018 and was divided into five geographical packages. The northern section, which includes the latest opened segment, encompassed three packages handled mainly by contractors Per Aarsleff and CG Jensen. Initial project budgets were set at around DKr5.1 billion but rising costs led to a revised final budget of DKr9.3 billion, including reserves. Funding was secured with a 40% contribution from the national government, 34% from participating municipalities, and 26% from the capital region.
Technical Details, Rolling Stock, and Operations Contract
Siemens Mobility, in consortium with Aarsleff Rail, managed electrification, signalling, communications, depot provisioning, project
management, system integration, and will conduct 15 years of maintenance. Track installation was subcontracted to Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group. Siemens Mobility supplied 29 four-section Avenio light rail vehicles, each 36.9 meters long, providing capacity for 260 passengers, including 64 seated. The rolling stock order originated with 27 vehicles plus an option for two more. Metro Services, a subsidiary of Milan-based ATM known for operating the København metro, secured a 15-year operations and maintenance contract. The line initially launched its first phase on October 26, 2025, over 13.1 km between Ishøj and Rødovre Nord with 12 stops. Current service frequencies run
every 10 minutes off peak and every 5 to 8 minutes during peak times, with an end-to-end journey time of 58 minutes. Following a 3 to 6 month operational running-in period, daytime frequencies are expected to increase to every 5 minutes. Bicycle carriage on trams is permitted.
Passenger Benefits and Official Responses
The orbital light rail follows closely the O3 ring road providing a suburban link that reduces the necessity for passengers to travel through central København. The line serves residential districts, workplaces, hospitals, educational facilities, and interchange hubs. It is projected to transport about 14 million passengers annually by 2030. Hanne Tærsbøl Schmidt, director
of the local authority-owned Hovedstadens Letbane, described the completion as the result of sustained cooperation between the capital region, 11 municipal authorities, and numerous partners, creating a new everyday convenience for travellers navigating the capital. Gladsaxe Mayor Serdal Benli emphasized the tramway’s role in connecting the city and reducing noise and road congestion by promoting public transport usage.
