Aarhus light rail expansion threatened by 1.7 billion kroner funding gap

A long-planned expansion of the light rail network in Aarhus is in jeopardy after a municipal report revealed a funding shortfall of 1.7 billion kroner, DR reports.

The gap emerged following a meeting at the city hall between the parties of the city council. The plan calls for a 7.5-kilometre extension of the existing light rail line from the city centre to the suburb of Brabrand, with a target completion date of 2035.

“To put it mildly, it is a huge challenge that a great deal of money is missing,” said Social Democrat mayor Anders Winnerskjold. “The finances have to add up, and that looks difficult.”

Housing association warns against scrapping the project

The planned route runs directly through Gellerupparken, a large residential area undergoing major urban renewal. Brabrand Boligforening, the local housing association, has warned the city council against abandoning the extension.

“A great deal of money has been invested in getting a good regeneration of the area underway, but it depends on a strong and stable transport plan,” said the association’s director, Kristian Würtz.

Transport researcher Samuel Brüning Larsen from DTU, the Technical University of Denmark, also urged politicians to stick with the expansion plan, pointing to Aarhus growing by 5,000 residents per year.

“If we look ten years ahead and no more light rail is built, there will be more congestion on the roads,” he said.

The Aarhus light rail carried more than six million passengers last year. Mayor Winnerskjold said he would spend the coming months considering whether the expansion can still go ahead. “I think the light rail is in many ways a good thing, but it also depends on the price,” he said.