Chennai Metro: Alstom Hands Over First Driverless Train Set For Phase II Project, To Be Tested On Poonamallee-Porur Stretch

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) has received its first driverless trainset for the Phase II expansion of its metro project. The trainset was manufactured by Alstom, a French multinational known for its expertise in smart and sustainable mobility solutions.

The order for 36 driverless trains, each consisting of three cars, was placed by Chennai Metro in February 2024. These trains will operate on a 26-kilometer corridor connecting Poonamallee Bypass to Light House, covering a total of 28 stations, 18 of which are elevated and 10 underground.

The contract for manufacturing these driverless trains was awarded at a cost of Rs 1,125.92 crore. Production of the first train commenced at Sri City, with an initial delivery target of August. However, due to delays in procuring some components, the delivery timeline was pushed back.

The Phase-II expansion will introduce three new corridors, covering key areas across the city: Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km with 50 stations), Lighthouse to Poonamallee Bypass (26.1 km with 30 stations), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47 km with 48 stations).

The driverless train will first be tested on the Poonamallee-Porur stretch, which forms part of Corridor 4 under. After successful testing, the train is set to commence operations along this corridor by late next year.

In a statement, Alstom highlighted that these new trains align with India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives. The project also includes training Chennai Metro personnel in the operation and maintenance of the advanced trainsets, reports Financial Express.

Alstom previously supplied 208 metro cars for Phase I of Chennai Metro’s network in 2010.