Circle line contract

Design and engineering consultancy Atkins is to provide engineering consultancy on the transportation system for the new Copenhagen Metro Circle Line, working in conjunction with joint venture partner Ramboll.

The consortium formed by the two will be responsible for solving the technical aspects of the railway works on the Metro city circle line, which is owned by the Ørestad Development Corporation. The city circle line will include a 15.5km line underneath the inner city of Copenhagen, and 17 new metro stations.

With a total value of around £1.4bn, it is one of Denmark’s biggest ever railway projects.

The initial scope of the work over the next 18 months involves taking the project from the current conceptual design phase through to systems procurement.

Atkins and Ramboll are responsible for consultancy on permanent way (railtracks), the catenary system (cabling) and the fully automatic driverless train control system.

In addition, the joint venture's remit includes rolling stock and a major operation and maintenance centre, which is made up of, among others, a building complex hosting the control centre, workshops, and deposit and sidings for splitting-up trains.