The Copenhagen metro was launched in the autumn of 2002 but quickly suffered the problem of doors coming loose during service. For reasons of passenger safety, every effort was made to locate the cause of the problem, and FORCE Technology was asked to participate.

A complex task with numerous parties involved

The task was very complex because we were given only 45 days to examine the entire production process that had lasted more than five years. To quickly get to the bottom of the matter FORCE Technology composed a team of specialists from several departments and external subcontractors, totalling more than 20 experts. At the same time, we established a cross-disciplinary communication and documentation system that would regularly record the findings made by the team, and thanks to a well-timed beginning the team was able to start examining the doors from day one.

Everything had to be checked – no stone was to be left unturned

To ensure a complete uncovering of the problem, every stone was turned individually, which involved train design and craftsmanship, QA/QC processes, verification and validation processes, and the appointed third-party assessor role. All that was done on the basis of the original train documentation with particular focus on the incidents of doors coming loose.

Comprehensive surveys pointed to a simple solution

Following its surveys FORCE Technology found several inappropriate issues, deviations and errors. Some of these were directly associated with the reason why the doors came loose. As a result, the Danish railway authorities instructed the train manufacturer to make the necessary steps and design changes, to prevent similar incidents in future.

Shortly after the Copenhagen metro was brought into service, Metro Service experienced problems with the train doors. FORCE Technology was asked to examine the doors. For that purpose we set up a team of specialists who quickly and efficiently uncovered the problem.