Alstom starts manufacturing 96 driverless metro cars for Chennai Metro
The French train maker is producing the Metropolis trainsets at its Sri City facility in Andhra Pradesh under a 135-million-euro contract.
French train maker Alstom began manufacturing 96 Metropolis driverless metro cars for Chennai Metro at its Sri City facility in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, according to Moneycontrol.
The production is part of a 135-million-euro contract awarded in 2025. Under this agreement, Alstom will produce 32 trainsets, each consisting of three cars, and will offer 15 years of comprehensive maintenance once the warranty period ends.
The Chennai Metro Phase II project covers about 119 km, including 76 km of elevated tracks and 43 km of underground sections across three corridors. These new Metropolis trains are designed for Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) driverless operations with speeds of 80 km/h.
Each three-car trainset can carry up to 900 passengers. The cars include air conditioning, CCTV cameras, real-time information displays, perch seats, and specific areas for women and differently-abled commuters.
Alstom India Managing Director Olivier Loison said the company values its long-standing partnership with Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL). He noted that the recent completion of 108 cars for corridor 4 and the start of this new production reinforces their association with CMRL.
Since receiving its first CMRL contract in 2010, Alstom has delivered 208 metro cars for Phase I of the project.