Keolis starts operating the 26-km new tram network in Odense, Denmark

Odense, Denmark (Urban Transport News): On 28 May 2022, Keolis received the first passengers of the new tram line in the city of Odense, which lies 165 km west of Copenhagen on the island of Funen.

This launch follows the award of a 15-year operation and maintenance contract by the city’s transport authority in November 2018. This is Odense’s very first tram line, representing a new mobility solution for the city and a true illustration of the local environmental policy to reduce car use. Other signs of this voluntary policy of the organizing authority: the network has devices to reduce noise pollution, as well as a control and maintenance center almost self-sufficient in energy thanks to the installation of 500 m2 solar panels on the roof.

The line, which is 14.5 km long and serves 26 stations, is expected to carry between 10 and 11 million passengers every year and takes 42 minutes to connect Tarup, a neighbourhood in the north of the city, to Hjallese in southern suburb of Odense. It will run through the downtown area, serving the main points of interest in the centre including the central station, the hospital, and Odense University.

Keolis has recruited 80 local staff for this contract, including 52 drivers.

This launch serves to strengthen Keolis' status as an operator of carbon-free public transport in Denmark and illustrates the Keolis Group's current dynamic in the country. Keolis has been present in Denmark since 2000, employing 1,800 people and operating approximately 550 buses in ten cities1, as well as the country's first tram network in Aarhus. 

Keolis is a pioneer in developing public transport systems and works alongside public authorities who want to enhance shared mobility systems to grow the appeal and vitality of their regions. A world leader in operating automated metro and tramway systems, Keolis and its partners and subsidiaries Kisio, EFFIA, Keolis Santé and Cykleo support the core business with innovations offering new and bespoke shared mobility solutions for modes including trains, buses and coaches, trolleybuses, shared car solutions, river and sea shuttle services, bike-share services, car sharing, fully electric driverless shuttles and urban cable cars.