ComfortDelGro in tie-up with French firm RATP Dev to run Copenhagen Metro from Sept 2027

SINGAPORE – A consortium formed by ComfortDelGro (CDG) and French transport company RATP Dev will operate and maintain all four lines of the Copenhagen metro system from September 2027, after besting two other bidders.

In a statement on Aug 28, Metroselskabet – which oversees the development, construction and operation of the Danish capital’s metro system – said it chose KBH Metro Partner “based on an overall assessment of price and quality”.

The contract, worth 17 billion Danish kroner (S$3.36 billion), will run for 12 years, with an option to extend for another three years.

One of three rapid transit systems in the world that runs for 24 hours across all seven days in the week, the Copenhagen metro is fully automated and spans about 43km across 44 stations.

In 2025, it recorded 135 million passengers – its highest annual ridership yet. That year, its average operational reliability was 99.3 per cent, with trains running as frequently as every 1.5 minutes during peak hours.

With the new contract awarded, Metroselskabet’s director of operations and maintenance Soren Boysen said it will ensure “robust daily operations” while establishing a foundation to work with KBH Metro Partner in carrying out renewal projects on two of the older lines.

“This is crucial for ensuring that a growing number of passengers continue to experience the metro as a fast and reliable mode of transport,” he added.

No details on KBH Metro Partner’s bid were provided, with the consortium set to undertake a transitional phase before taking over current operator Metro Service.

Boysen said: “For passengers, the aim is that the change in operator is carried out as smoothly as possible so that the metro continues to be experienced as the familiar, reliable and efficient part of the capital’s public transport system.”

This is the third tie-up between CDG and RATP Dev that will operate a metro line.

The first time was in 2023, when ComfortDelGro Transit won a contract as part of an international consortium with RATP Dev and French train manufacturer Alstom to run the southern sector of Paris’ Line 15.

The following year, in November 2024, a joint venture between SBS Transit, which is a CDG subsidiary, and RATP Dev Asia Pacific – a subsidiary of RATP Dev, was appointed the operator of the Jurong Region Line.

It was the first time that a foreign operator has become involved in Singapore’s rail industry.

Aqil Hamzah is a transport journalist at The Straits Times. He is also interested in issues related to crime and technology.