Why a light rail?
In Vallensbæk, placing the light rail station at the side of the road will make it easy to switch to the S-train.
For commuters, the light rail will be a good alternative to cars. Here the station Glostrup Nord - close to Hersted Industripark in Albertslund.
A light rail presents many advantages, including that it is fast, easy and ecofriendly.
The Greater Copenhagen Light Rail will make it easy, rapid and comfortable to travel across Greater Copenhagen. The light rail will run every five minutes in daytime hours, with no fixed timetable, and with connections to S-trains at six stations. It will stop close to DTU (Technical University of Denmark), Herlev and Glostrup Hospitals, and a large number of other workplaces, shops and cultural and sporting venues.
For most of its alignment, the light rail will run on its own track, separated from the rest of the traffic at the side or middle of the road. At a few locations, due to the lack of space it will mingle with other traffic.
A light rail system makes little noise and is highly ecofriendly, running on electricity and with plenty of space for 200-230 passengers in each train, which corresponds to the number of passengers in about four city buses.
The light rail's many advantages make it a popular mode of transport both in Denmark and the rest of Europe.
In 2025, when the Greater Copenhagen Light Rail begins to operate, it will be easy to travel across the S-train network throughout Greater Copenhagen. Here are examples of future travel times:
Lyngby Station – Buddinge Station: 5-10 minutes
Buddinge Station – Herlev Station: 10-15 minutes
Herlev Station – Glostrup Station: 10-15 minutes
Lyngby Station – Glostrup Station: 30-35 minutes
The entire line's running time will be approximately 58 minutes.
The Greater Copenhagen Light Rail will include a new 28-kilometre development area between Lyngby and Ishøj.
The Light Rail will increase the areas' accessibility and create a basis to attract private investment, because many companies and individuals will be keen to be located close to sustainable and effective public transport systems.
Under the Ringby partnership, the municipalities and the Capital Region have joined forces on a political vision to link up urban development with public transport, as well as transformation strategies to achieve the visions.
It is assessed that until 2032 the Greater Copenhagen Light Rail and urban development in the area can create up to 36,500 new workplaces, and towards 32,000 new residents.
The Bergen Light Rail is very similar to the coming Greater Copenhagen Light Rail. The Bergen Light Rail was commissioned in 2010 and its route network is currently being expanded. On a daily basis, the Bergen Light Rail has over 30,000 passengers. Photo: Eivind Senneset.
Besançon: This town in eastern France inaugurated its light rail in 2014. It runs through the historical town centre.
Berlin: Germany is one of the few countries in Europe to upgrade its old tram lines to a light rail system, instead of discontinuing them. In Berlin, new light rail trains have just been introduced.
Valencia: The light rail is an integrated element of the city's overall transport network, on an equal footing with the metro and regional trains.
Vienna: The Austrian capital has almost 177 kilometres of light rail, making it the world's sixth largest route network.
Strasbourg: This city in Alsace has a well-functioning six-lane light rail system that has been in operation since 1994.
Paris: The Paris Light Rail is constantly being expanded. In the next few years, for example, several "express light rails" crossing the city will open.
Edinburgh: This city's light rail rolled out on its first trip in 2014. The first stage runs from central New Town to the city's airport and the Edinburgh Light Rail runs on its own track and also mingles with other traffic.
Helsinki: The light rail in the Finnish capital is one of the oldest in the world, as the primary mode of transport in the city centre. There are 13 lines, and around 200,000 passengers take the Helsinki Light Rail on a daily basis.
Barcelona: The Catalonian capital has two light rail lines, which intersect the city's other public transport systems, as well as a "veteran line" featuring old trams that have been in service for more than 100 years.
The Greater Copenhagen Light Rail is one of three new light rails that are being established in Denmark. Here, you can read more about the other light rail lines:
Aarhus Light Rail
Odense Light Rail
Denmark's first light rail opened in Aarhus in december 2017. Odense Light Rail is expected to open in 2020, and The Greater Copenhagen Light Rail is planned to open in 2025.