Hovedstadens Letbane has apologized to passengers after six technical breakdowns, two collisions with cars and a five-hour standstill during the first week of full operation between Lundtofte and Ishøj.
Frank Pedersen, operations manager at Hovedstadens Letbane, says he is very sorry about the problems and that the service has not been good enough. DR reports that the light rail has come to a halt several times since it opened.
The line was inaugurated along its full length on Saturday, August 22, after ten years of construction. It runs between Lundtofte in the north and Ishøj in the south. The southern section opened in the fall of 2025.
According to DR, trains were hit by cars twice during the first week. Cars also ended up on the tracks several times. In addition, operations were suspended six times because of technical faults on the trains.
The most recent stoppage came on Friday, August 29. A fault made it difficult to move a train, and the vehicle stood still for around five hours. Pedersen explains that this brought traffic on the entire line to a stop.
Meeting with suppliers and operator
The various problems will be addressed at a meeting on Monday, August 31. Pedersen says the incidents will be reviewed in detail together with the technical suppliers of the trains and the operating company. The aim is to identify what can be done better.
The Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority, Trafikstyrelsen, approved the second part of the line in August 2026. The completed Ring 3 light rail covers 28 kilometers with 29 stations.
Criticism of passenger information
Henrik Sørensen, a member of the Gladsaxe city council for the Conservative People’s Party, has joined the debate on social media. He calls it a problem that an accident at one point stops the whole line. According to him, that cannot be accepted in a modern society.
Sørensen also criticizes the absence of a communication channel for passengers. He notes that changes to operations are not visible on the light rail’s website. In his view, this could have been handled better from day one.
Pedersen confirms that information for passengers is one of the items on the agenda for Monday’s meeting. He points to traffic and operating information both on board the trains and at the stations. The organization also wants to examine whether its website can be improved.
DR notes that the light rail has been widely discussed online since the opening. Pedersen says the initiatives under review are meant to prevent a repeat of the first week’s disruptions.
