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.
20 years of operations in Denmark
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 cities, as well as the country's first tram network in Aarhus.
Key figures of the Odense tram network
14.5 kilometres
26 stations
Between 10 and 11 million passengers per year
16 tramways carriages
15 year contract
Cumulative turnover of approximately €230 million
200,000 inhabitants
80 new employees, including 52 drivers
Keolis, the world's leadung tram operator
With this new contract, Keolis now operates 26 tram networks worldwide.
13 networks in France :
Besançon, Bordeaux, Caen, Dijon, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon, Nancy, Orléans, Strasbourg, Tours and the T9 and the T11 in Île-de-France. The Group is preparing the launch of the T13 tramway (France) scheduled for July 2022.
13 international networks :
Australia: Gold Coast, Melbourne and Newcastle
Canada: Waterloo
China: Shanghai and Jiaxing
Denmark: Aarhus and Odense
United Arab Emirates: Dubaï
Norway: Bergen
United Kingdom: Manchester and Notingham
Qatar: Lusail
