Road authority admits Copenhagen staircase should have closed sooner

The Danish Road Directorate says a problematic staircase in Copenhagen should have been closed earlier, DR reports.

A man fell five metres through the staircase on Wednesday and suffered minor injuries. The staircase, which connects Dybbølsbro with Copenhagen’s long-distance bus terminal, has since been cordoned off.

The staircase had previously been closed twice after tiles came loose: first in 2024 and again in May 2025. During the most recent closure, tiles with casting defects were replaced and the remaining tiles were inspected.

The Road Directorate said it introduced regular inspections after the repeated incidents, but they did not lead it to close the staircase. “This has now proved to be a very regrettable misjudgment, and we acknowledge that the process has taken too long,” it said in a written response to DR.

The directorate called Wednesday’s incident very serious and said it was sorry someone had been injured. It has been told that similar steps are used at other stations, but its adviser says they are installed in a different structure and are fully supported. The directorate said it is discussing responsibility for the staircase’s design with the adviser.