04/27/2018 – Construction has begun on the new Odense tramway in Denmark. This past April 24th, COMSA participated in the symbolic laying of the first stone, a ceremony that marks the start of the project.
The Spanish construction company will build more than 14 kilometres of dual track tramway between the districts of Tarup Centre and Hjallese as well as the 26 stations that will comprise the line. The contract is valued at 158 million euros and includes building the catenary, signalling work, telecommunications, a control and maintenance centre as well as the tests to be conducted prior to commissioning the service. To accomplish this COMSA will be assisted by Efacec, a Portuguese company specialised in electrical systems and by Danish company Munck for the construction work.
The tramway of Odense will be built using sustainability criteria. In this line, anti-vibration blankets and rail jackets will be used for attenuating the noise and oscillations generated by the operation of the trains. On the other hand, the maintenance centre will be energy self-sufficient. To accomplish this, over 500 square metres of solar panels will be installed on the roof, windows and skylights will be installed for natural lighting as well as efficient thermal insulation that will result in savings in the energy bill. Also, for every tree removed for building the tramway, COMSA will plant two trees, which will be watered using a system that collects the water that accumulates on the roofs of the station canopies.
The event presided by Mogens Hagelskaer, Managing Director of Odense Letbane, was attended by representatives from all the companies involved in the project. By part of COMSA, Juan Enseñat, Director of Infrastructures, has highlighted that the centenary track record of the group, in addition to its extensive experience in international tramway projects “is proof of our competence in building a modern tramway using the most stringent quality and safety standards and complying with all labour and environmental requirements”.
On April 11th, Odense Letbane publicly presented the future design of the tramway using models, which will be on display at the Danish city’s Citizen House for three more weeks.
Symbolic laying of the first stone of the Odense tramway (Denmark)