Developing high-class public transport is a contributor to sustainable growth

Public transport transforms and develops cities, it delivers on a number of political goals at the local and national levels and we are important players when global issues such as climate change are addressed. As public transport operators, we become successful when we manage to deliver beyond a merely supply-driven transportation and address key challenges linked to demographic change, urban congestion, climate change, and as an asset in the global competition for investments and qualified labour.

In spite of strained public finances and a global economic decline, infrastructure development is placed high on the political agenda. Public investment commitments in infrastructure projects in and around Copenhagen are currently at a historic high of around 80 billion kroner, including new and improved railway lines linking Copenhagen with its surroundings (finished by 2018), the Femern Belt Tunnel which includes a railway line linking Denmark and Germany and a developed land area at Rødbyhavn in connection with the tunnel (finished by 2020), and a new metro line, the Cityring, with 17 new underground stations in Copenhagen (finished by 2018).

Danish policy makers, and policy makers in many other countries, realise that mobility is a driver of continued growth. For this reason, public investments in improved infrastructure in and around cities with growing populations and ever expanding transportation needs are crucial. There is an understanding that the expanding public transportation network, of which the building of more metro is just one of many new initiatives, supports an increasing population density inside the city without making use of additional surface areas for transportation in already strained urban areas. At the same time, the development of adequate infrastructure and construction of attractive high-class public transportation has the ability to transform cities and deliver on a number of priorities: Copenhagen needs to expand into new spaces for living, business and recreation; the environmental reality and the associated agenda requires policy makers to rely on more efficient and environmentally sustainable solutions to the ever-increasing demand for transportation; growing cities and demographic change increases congestion related to private transportation and assert pressure on the existing transportation network in Copenhagen.

Demographic challenges

Changing demographic realities are always providing a challenge for the development and optimisation of infrastructure in bigger cities. Although Copenhagen is of a relatively modest size it is growing at a faster rate than anyone expected just one or two decades ago. Young people especially decide to stay in the city. Over the last couple of years, the population of Copenhagen has grown by more than 10,000 people per year which is a growth rate of more than 2%. As a response to increasing mobility needs and demand for high-class public transportation, the Copenhagen Metro network is expanding with new lines.

The new and small metro system in Copenhagen transports 170,000 people every day inside the city and between Copenhagen and the suburbs – and 430,000 people per day when the new Cityring lines are completed in 2018. The Copenhagen Metro contributes to the development of the city and a number of policy objectives. And most tangibly, the development of public transportation alleviates congestion. By 2018, the total capacity of the public transportation system in Copenhagen (bus, s-train, metro) is expected to meet the mobility needs of a growing population by growing its capacity by more than 15%.

An engine of growth: the metro brings city development and urban renewal

The process of developing new areas and finding transportation systems influence and necessitate each other. Integrating the planning of high-density urban development with the right choice of transportation is a complex task, requiring a close integration of options for e.g. pedestrians, cyclists and users of various means of public transportation. Thus, the transportation options available for a new or renewed urban area and the way these options interact are crucial choices and may either prevent or assist the maturing process of the new area. Furthermore, the increased value generated by developing an urban area with high-class new infrastructure has, in the case of the first metro lines in Copenhagen, proved a significant mean to funding the construction of the metro itself. Simultaneously, public-private partnership is a financing modality with great potential in areas adjacent to new metro stations, such as the case of the Frederiksberg shopping centre indicates. A couple of distinct cases show how the metro network contributes to the development of urban areas.

Frederiksberg – urban renewal

In conjunction with the construction of the Frederiksberg metro station, a shopping centre of 16,000 m2 was constructed with its own metro entrance. Today, 35% of the 4.7 million customers per annum in the Frederiksberg Shopping Centre arrive by metro. This shopping centre has the highest turnover per m2 for any shopping centre in Denmark and is currently being expanded. The success of the integrated metro station and shopping centre is a testament to the potential of carefully planning and integrating high-class infrastructure and urban renewal, and shows how attractive such business possibilities adjacent to new infrastructure may be to investors and businesses.

Ørestad – a new city area

The existing metro network was part of the city development of the newØrestad city area south of the city centre. Ørestad is an old military training ground covering 310 hectares. It has a total planned building area of 3.1 million m2 buildings. Today, more than a million m2 has been built, businesses are opening, residential areas developed and the increased value has been used to fund the construction of the metro. The simple principle behind this funding modality is the development of land of low value with high-class infrastructure. The subsequent profit from sales is then used to pay the infrastructure. Approximately 45% of the construction costs of the Copenhagen metro is financed by land sales and another estimated 43% by operation of the system.

Increasing value of real estate

In Copenhagen, the construction of the metro network has been designed in order to support efforts to both the renewal of existing urban areas and the development of new residential and business areas. Around each new metro station, changes are felt: businesses see increasing turnovers, investors see new opportunities and property prices increase. Analyses indicate an average increase in residential property values of 13% near new metro stations.

As a consequence, a branching-off from the Cityring towards Nordhavn is currently under consideration. The new residential area Nordhavn is a harbour and industrial area of roughly 200 hectares. The area is currently being developed and prepared for both businesses and residential areas. A branching-off from the Cityring currently being analysed will increase the value of the area and make it an attractive area for investors.

Expanding the metro network in Copenhagen

To meet the challenges of congestion and the growing population, to reduce harmful emissions from mobility and in order to obtain the advantages of the growth associated with high-class public transportation, the Cityring is now added to the existing metro network. With the new Cityring, Copenhagen residents and visitors get a rapid, safe and environmentally sensible mean of transportation. A journey from the suburbs to the city centre directly or with one change of trains; or from the airport to a wide selection of stations in central Copenhagen will take approximately 15 minutes.

Growing a city while ensuring reductions in CO2 emissions and providing a healthy living space for people inside the city is no easy task. Expanding the metro network alleviates congestion by pulling transportation from the surface area. The metro operation makes it possible to move the pollution sources farther away from the city and subsequently allows for the use of renewable energy sources.

We work hard to identify and remove the barriers preventing our potential customers from using the metro. The findings are used in the development of our commercial strategy and in the further development of our network and services. By means of such a customer-oriented approach, we strive to provide and continuously develop a modern and demand-driven service. In this way, we intend to increase ridership by ensuring a continued and increasing demand for public transportation in our city.

About the Author

Rebekka Nymark joined the Copenhagen Metro in 2010 as Head of Development – in charge of customer-oriented initiatives and neighbour communication in connection with the construction of the Cityring. Ms. Nymark has more than 10 years experience with infrastructure development in Copenhagen and comes from a position as Head of Division in the Urban Development and Infrastructure Centre at the City of Copenhagen.