INDIA: Alstom Transport India Ltd handed over the first of 52 six-car driverless Metropolis trainsets for the Delhi metro on September 23.
Described as being ‘100% locally designed and produced’, the trains are being built at Alstom’s factory at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, under the Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ and Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) initiatives.
‘Our locally manufactured, cutting-edge Metropolis metro trains are set to play a pivotal role in improving the quality of life for citizens and driving the city’s development’, said Olivier Loison, Managing Director of Alstom India.
Dr Vikas Kumar, DMRC’s managing director, said ‘today is a historic occasion for the Delhi Metro family as we take another major step towards operationalising the Phase IV corridors. We are looking forward to a new era of enhanced convenience and eco-friendly travel for our passengers.’
A ceremony was held in February 2024 to mark the start of production of the fleet. The 1 435 mm gauge, 25 kV 50 Hz trains have a service speed of 85 km/h and a design speed of 95 km/h, and are equipped for GoA4 unattended operation.
DMRC placed the €312m order in November 2022 as part of its 64·7 km Phase IV expansion, with the trains due to enter service in 2025-26.
The contract includes a 15-year maintenance package for the 13 trainsets being built for the 25·8 km Line 10 (Gold), under construction across southern Delhi between Aerocity and Tughlakabad. DMRC says this is the first time it has outsourced rolling stock maintenance to a manufacturer.
The balance of 39 trains will be split between lines 7 (Pink) and 8 (Magenta). These are currently operated by trainsets supplied by Hyundai Rotem and BEML.
