Chennai Metro Signs Rs 15.4 Billion Deal for Driverless Trains

11 Jun 2025 CW Team

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has awarded a contract worth Rs 15.4 billion to Alstom Transport India for the supply of driverless trainsets under its Phase 2 expansion. The Letter of Acceptance was issued to Alstom on 28 April 2025.

This agreement marks a significant step in modernising Chennai’s urban transit system, aligning with global trends in automated and safe public transportation. Under the contract, Alstom will design, manufacture, supply, test, and commission 96 metro cars—forming 32 driverless trains—along with training personnel and maintaining the fleet for 15 years.

The first driverless trainset is expected to be delivered by February 2027 to the Phase 2 depot, followed by 14 months of rigorous testing, including integration trials. Additional trains will be delivered between September 2027 and May 2028 for on-site testing.

These trains will operate on Phase 2's 119 km network, which includes over 76 km of elevated track and 43 km underground, spanning three corridors. The new fleet will serve the route from Poonamallee Bypass to Light House via 30 stations—18 elevated and 12 underground.

Alstom is already constructing 108 driverless Metropolis cars for the corridor and has previously delivered 208 metro cars for Phase 1 since its initial contract with CMRL in 2010.

The project reinforces Chennai Metro’s commitment to delivering smarter, driverless mobility solutions in one of India’s fastest-growing urban centres.

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