The invention relates to a method, a computer program and a rolling mill train for cold rolling a metal strip (200). In order to achieve a shortening of undesired off-gauge lengths, the method according to the invention provides that the head (210) of the metal strip (200) already undergoes a thickness reduction at the first active rolling stand (n) in the rolling mill train, and then is transported on to the next rolling stand, in order to undergo a further thickness reduction there. The method according to the invention also provides for further reducing the initial pass thickness at the n-th rolling stand in accordance with the tensile stress that has built up in the meantime between the n+1-th and the n-th rolling stand.