Alstom has signed a contract with Metro de Madrid to upgrade the signalling of line 6, making it Madrid’s first driverless metro line. This 23.5 km circular line with 28 stations is renowned as the busiest line of the entire network, with 110 million users in 2023, an average of 618,000 passengers on a working day. The upgrade to fully automated operation signifies a notable advancement in Madrid’s urban transportation, enhancing the daily travel experience for thousands of residents and visitors, and bringing modernisation, resilience and energy savings to the heart of the metro network. We had reported here before:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/madrid-automated-operation-on-three-metro-lines/
The contract includes the design, engineering, installation, and commissioning of the new signalling system and electronic interlocks necessary to upgrade the current communications-based train control (CBTC), from Grade of Automation 2 (GoA2) semi-automatic operation to Grade of Automation 4(GoA4), enabling fully autonomous and driverless operation. The project will also implement a new Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) system to enhance train monitoring and control.
Alstom’s new Urbalis CBTC signalling system will improve the safety, reliability, and capacity of the line, and allows increased frequencies and improved train efficiency, reducing their energy consumption. The project will be led by Alstom´s Railway Signalling Excellence Centre in Madrid.
Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF had won a contract to supply 40 new trains for lines 6 and 8 last summer, we reported here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/up-to-80-new-metro-trains-and-172-new-suburban-trains-for-madrid/.
Construction works to upgrade the stations including installation of platform doors for automated operation have already begun – service interruption and replacement bus service will be in place between Moncloa and Méndez Álvaro Príncipe Pío from June to September 2025, and between Moncloa and Legazpì via Avenida de América from September to December 2025. EUR 129 mn is the total investment budget for the conversion excluding the rolling stock.
20.01.2025
