The first electrification project to be implemented under the contract is the 57km Lunderskov – Esbjerg line, which is due to be completed next year. This will be followed by Køge – Naestved, Ringsted – Rødby (Denmark's connection to the Fehmarn Belt fixed link) and the new Copenhagen – Ringsted line.

Banedanmark says the joint venture has offered the most economically-advantageous bid for the contract. "We are happy we received four strong bids with strong references from similar projects. We have seen strong competition and good suggestions for such an important task, creating the framework for a far more modern railway," says Banedanmark CEO Mr Jesper Hansen.

Denmark is planning to electrify 1300 route-km by 2026 through the DKr 28.5bn ($US 4.3bn) Togfonden DK fund, which will use North Sea oil revenues to fund rail infrastructure enhancements. This includes a further DKr 8.7bn for electrification of the Fredericia – Aalborg, Aalborg – Frederikshavn, Vejle – Struer, and Roskilde – Kalundborg lines.

The total value of the phase 1 electrification contract is estimated to be around DKr 12bn.