Alstom begins manufacturing 96 driverless metro cars for Chennai Metro
The production of 32 three-car trainsets for Phase II will take place at the Sri City facility in Andhra Pradesh.
French train maker Alstom started manufacturing 96 Metropolis driverless metro cars for Chennai Metro Phase II on Thursday, according to Moneycontrol and BusinessLine. The work is being carried out at the company's Sri City facility in Andhra Pradesh under a 135-million-euro contract awarded in 2025.
The contract involves producing 32 trainsets, each consisting of three cars, and includes 15 years of full maintenance services once the warranty expires. These trains are designed at Alstom's engineering centre in Bengaluru and built under the 'Make in India' initiative.
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. The Metropolis trains are designed for Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) driverless operations with a top speed of 80 km/h.
Each three-car set can carry up to 900 passengers and features air conditioning, CCTV cameras, real-time information displays, and specific areas for women and differently-abled commuters. The trains also include regenerative braking and cybersecurity features.
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 supplied 208 metro cars for Phase I.