Metroselskabet has concluded the tender process for the future operation and maintenance of the Copenhagen Metro. Following an extensive and internationally competitive procedure, KBH Metro Partner ApS has been selected as the new operator for metro lines M1 to M4, starting in September 2027. The contract is worth a total of 17 billion Danish kroner.
A competitive international process
Seven companies applied for prequalification, and three were shortlisted to submit bids. After a process involving initial offers, revised offers and subsequent negotiations, Metroselskabet based its final decision on a combined evaluation of price and quality.
Metroselskabet’s director of operations and maintenance, Søren Boysen, describes it as a large, complex and attractive contract that attracted significant international interest, adding that the priority remains safe, stable, attractive and efficient metro operations for passengers every day.
Facts about the Copenhagen Metro
The network currently comprises four lines: M1 (opened 2002), M2 (2002), M3 (2019) and M4 (2020/2024), covering 44 stations and 43 kilometres of track. Two new stations on M4 serving Ydre Nordhavn are due to open in 2032. During peak hours, trains run as frequently as every 90 seconds, and average operational reliability reached 99.3 percent in 2025. The system carried 135 million passengers in 2025, the highest annual figure in its history.
A contract built around stability and long term renewal
The new contract strengthens the framework for future cooperation between Metroselskabet and the operator. It includes streamlined workflows and a clearer division of responsibilities, with Metroselskabet taking advertising sales in the Metro back in house.
Documented experience with operating, maintaining and modernising automated metro systems was a key selection criterion, including experience with renewing technical installations and replacing signalling systems.
Boysen notes that the Metro currently maintains operational reliability above 99 percent, a standard the new contract is designed to preserve while providing a solid basis for major renewal projects on M1 and M2 in the coming years, as passenger numbers continue to grow.
Tender details
The new operator, KBH Metro Partner ApS, is backed by RATP Development SA, Regie Autonome Des Transports Parisiens, SBS Transit Rail Pte. Ltd, ComfortDelgro Irish Citylink Limited and Westbus Coach Services Limited.
Metroselskabet is owned by the Danish state, the City of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg Municipality, and holds overall responsibility for Metro operations, though Danish law requires the operation itself to be tendered to a private operator. The company expects to sign the new contract in September 2026, once the statutory standstill period has expired. The agreement runs for 12 years to 2039, with an option for a further three years. Metroselskabet’s current agreement with operator Metro Service expires on 28 September 2027, prompting the new tender.
A managed transition toward 2027
Metroselskabet, Metro Service and KBH Metro Partner are now entering a transition and mobilisation phase ahead of the operational handover in September 2027. During this period, the new operator will build its organisation and workflows to ensure a well managed, risk controlled transition without affecting daily metro operations. Metroselskabet says it will work closely with both the outgoing and incoming operator to maintain continuity throughout the transition, in line with Danish transfer of undertakings legislation.
Boysen thanks Metro Service for its contribution over the years in building and running the Metro passengers know today, adding that the company hopes to retain as many of Metro Service’s skilled employees as possible under the new operator, for the benefit of both the Metro and its passengers.
The goal for passengers is a smooth operator transition, with the Metro continuing to be seen as a familiar, reliable and efficient part of the Danish capital’s public transport network.
