Odense allocates €4 million for premium light rail station in Vollsmose

A proposal to spend nearly 30 million Danish kroner (€4 million) on a single light rail station in Odense’s Vollsmose district has sparked debate among city councillors, with critics calling the price tag excessive while supporters argue it will help transform the area, reports DR Nyheder.

The station at Granparken—part of the upcoming 4.9 km extension of Odense’s light rail system—would feature enhanced lighting, tiled surfaces, and wooden decks to create a social gathering space rather than just a transit stop. The total budget for upgrading stations along the new route, which includes eight stops, is proposed at 60 million kroner (€8 million).

Signe Vedersø Keldorff of the Danish People’s Party dismissed the plan as “insane,” arguing the funds should instead go toward welfare services. “It’s already insane that we’re investing in this extension at all,” she said, questioning how safety would be ensured given the area’s crime challenges.

Supporters, however, frame the investment as a necessary signal to future residents and investors. Tove Skrumsager Nielsen, director of Fremtidens Vollsmose (Future Vollsmose), the agency overseeing the district’s redevelopment, called it “a huge and important message” to demonstrate the city’s commitment. “Residents can see and feel that we’re prioritizing this urban development in the same way we’ve upgraded the city center,” she said.

The light rail’s second phase, set to run from central Odense through Vollsmose to Seden, is part of a broader effort to revitalize the district—once classified as a “ghetto”—by replacing 1,000 social housing units with 1,600 new private and rental homes. Construction is already underway across Vollsmose, with roads being dug up to accommodate the new line.

While the Conservative Party’s Tommy Hummelmose, who previously opposed the light rail, ultimately voted for the extension, he called the 30 million kroner station proposal “an awful lot of money” and said his party was not ready to approve the extra spending.

The 1.8 billion kroner (€240 million) project, 40% funded by the state, includes a baseline station design that municipalities can choose to enhance at their own cost. Odense’s “add-on catalog,” presented to politicians this week, outlines optional upgrades like the Granparken station’s tree-lined deck and seating areas, intended to “open up Vollsmose’s arrival experience to the rest of the city.”