Over the past nearly 25 years, the Copenhagen Metro has become more than just a public transportation system. With the launch of procedures for developing the new M5 line, the city’s vision is expanding toward an integrated model of urban development, in which mobility infrastructure serves as a catalyst for connecting existing neighborhoods and developing new urban areas.
The metro network is one of the main tools through which Denmark’s capital plans its urban development, attracts investment, and promotes sustainable mobility. Each new expansion of the network has been designed in tandem with the emergence of new neighborhoods, and the success of this model is driving authorities to continue investing. The launch of tenders for the first phase of the future M5 line, estimated at EUR 1.35 billion, confirms that the development of public transportation remains one of the pillars of the city’s transformation strategy.
Few European capitals have experienced such rapid growth in public transportation use as Copenhagen. According to official data published by Metroselskabet (the company responsible for developing and managing the metro network), the metro carried 135 million passengers in 2025, an increase of approximately 8% from the previous year, marking the highest level in the network’s history. This trend confirms that the investments made in recent years have profoundly changed the way residents get around the city.
This success is particularly evident following the June 2024 opening of the southern extension of the M4 line to Sydhavn and Valby. The five new stations exceeded initial traffic estimates by 50%, and some of them have become true catalysts for urban development. Havneholmen Station, for example, recorded a 22% increase in passenger numbers in 2026 compared to the previous year, driven by the rapid development of the residential and office areas.
These results demonstrate that in Copenhagen, transportation infrastructure does not merely follow urban development—it drives it. The opening of a metro station attracts real estate investments, corporate headquarters, services, and commercial spaces, thereby enhancing the appeal of new neighborhoods.
This model will also be applied to the new M5 metro line, a main line that will serve both densely populated areas in Amager (in the southeast of the capital) and the future neighborhoods being developed in Østhavnen (in the east) and Lynetteholm (in the northeast), one of the most ambitious urban expansion projects in Europe.
Tenders Worth EUR 1.35 Billion
The future M5 line will be an independent line with nine stations, built in two phases. The first phase will include six stations—five underground and one above ground—two bored tunnels with a total length of 7 km and a 2-km viaduct, as well as a control and maintenance center. In this first phase, 14 automated trains will be put into service, and all the technological systems necessary for automated operation will be in place.
In this context, the launch of the two major tenders for the first phase of the M5 represents a decisive moment for the project.
Metroselskabet has launched a tender for civil works, estimated at EUR 800 million, and for transportation systems—which also includes the procurement of more than 5 automated metro trains—worth EUR 550 million.
The tender documents were developed following three years of dialogue with the industry, a process through which the contracting authority adapted the technical requirements and contract templates to better reflect current conditions in the European market.
The current tender, for Phase 1, covers the southern segment of the route, between Copenhagen Central Station (København H) and the area north of Prags Boulevard.
The deadline for submitting prequalification applications is August 25, and the contract award procedure will take place from September 16 through December 27, 2026.
The tender for the M5 metro line’s transport system includes the design, supply, and integration of the main components required for the operation of the new metro line. The contract covers the transport system, which includes rolling stock, railway infrastructure—including the GoA4 CBTC signaling system—as well as the control and maintenance center (CMC).
The contract also includes long-term maintenance services following the system’s commissioning, including maintenance activities, the development of maintenance plans, and staff training. The procurement of the transit system and maintenance services is treated as an integrated package, with a single bidder to be selected to implement both components.
The contract also includes three expansion options: the procurement of up to 5 additional trains, the extension of the line from Prags Boulevard to Refshaleøen, and a further extension from Refshaleøen to Lynetteholm.
The contract covers the planning, design, production, commissioning, testing, and handover of metro trains specially designed to meet specific requirements and delivered in small batches, which refers to initial deliveries of 10–30 vehicles under a single contract, with no guarantee of additional orders.
According to plans, the first section will become operational in 2036.
A New Implementation Model
Both contracts will be awarded under a design-and-build system, but with different procedures. Competitive dialogue will be used for the transportation systems, and the negotiated procedure will be used for the civil works.
At the same time, Metroselskabet is introducing modern risk-sharing mechanisms, including the concept of a geotechnical baseline, whereby the beneficiary assumes a portion of the geological risks. It is also introducing a mechanism based on the “pain/gain” concept, whereby Metroselskabet shares both the additional costs (“pain”) and the savings achieved (“gain”), in accordance with a distribution mechanism mutually agreed upon by the parties.
This approach reflects the increasingly evident trend in major European infrastructure projects, where success no longer depends exclusively on the bid price, but on collaboration between the beneficiary and the industry from the earliest stages of design.
M5 – a line built for the city’s future
The new M5 line aims not only to expand the metro network but also to increase the capacity of the entire system, as it is designed as an automated line. Currently, the section crossing the harbor is one of the busiest on the network, and authorities estimate that the capital’s continued development will increase pressure on the existing infrastructure.
The long-term vision for the M5 metro line in Copenhagen also includes the construction of the northern segment of the line, the final section of which is expected to enter service in 2045. This is included in the transportation systems contract in the form of contractual options. A possible future extension of the route is also being considered, so that it forms a circular line, reflecting a long-term commitment to the development of urban mobility.
The new line will create direct connections to the existing M1, M2, M3, and M4 lines, to regional and long-distance trains, as well as to the S-train network, transforming Copenhagen Central Station into an even more important intermodal hub.
The project focuses not only on the necessary capacity but also on the passenger experience; the stations are designed to provide more natural light, direct access from street level to the platforms at certain locations, and more intuitive spaces to help passengers find their way. The architecture aims to integrate each station into the identity of the neighborhood it serves, and the use of a limited number of materials and more compact structures contributes to Metroselskabet’s ambitious goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 50% compared to previously built metro lines.
Beyond the architectural aspects, the project reflects a shift in philosophy: the metro is no longer just a means of transportation, but a component of the Danish capital’s climate and urban strategy.
“The new line will further strengthen the links between different areas of the city and create stronger connections both between existing neighborhoods and to new urban development areas,” said Mikkel Kjær Jensen, CEO of Metroselskabet.
Metroselskabet is placing particular emphasis on reducing carbon dioxide emissions as part of the new M5 metro line project. The contract for civil infrastructure works includes mandatory targets for reducing the carbon footprint, and the same principles apply to the contract for transportation systems, including the design of the new control and maintenance center, which must meet high standards of energy efficiency and sustainability.
Share on: 
