The World's Best Metro

Against tough competition from other well run metro systems, including London, Madrid and Singapore, industry leaders from the world's metropolises chose Copenhagen's as the world's best.

The most important factor in the decision to award the prize for best metro to Copenhagen was the dependability of its service, together with the quick and efficient manner in which the section of the line to the airport was built, and the high levels of passenger satisfaction and safety.

Jesper Christensen of Copenhagen Council, one of the three owners of the Metro, was at the conference, which took place in Copenhagen.

- As a capital and large city we can be proud and satisfied with a prize like this for our Metro. But I also think that this recognition clearly demonstrates that the time is right to extend the existing Metro with, initially, the City Ring, which will be finished in ten years - and then more lines, said Jesper Christensen (S), member of Copenhagen Council.

The chairman of Metroselskabet I/S, Henning Christophersen, is equally proud of the prize, but he stressed that, even though the recognition from colleagues is gratifying, it was the satisfaction of the Metro's day-to-day passengers that was the most important thing.

- For experts from metro systems in London, New York and Tokyo to think that Copenhagen's Metro is the world's best is a great honour. Their systems have been in operation for many years, while we are one of the youngest children in the world's Metro family. But, luckily, it is not just our peers who think so highly of Copenhagen's Metro. Our latest satisfaction research shows that 98 per cent of our customers are either satisfied or very satisfied, the best research results since the Metro was opened in 2002, says Henning Christophersen.

Facts
The prize of ‘world's best metro' was awarded this evening in Copenhagen during the Metro Rail conference before an audience of industry figures from the world's metro systems.

Copenhagen's Metro opened on 19 October 2002 and is one of the world's newest, most advanced and highest frequency metro systems with fully automatic, driverless trains.

A new link from Lergravsparken to the airport opened last year. Almost 40 million passengers used the Metro in 2007.

The next extension of Copenhagen's Metro, the City Ring, will feature 17 stations and link the ‘Bridge Quarters' of the city with the city centre via an underground tunnel ring. The City Ring will be completed in 2018.