Madrid Metro Line 6 driverless trains start night testing

The first of the Madrid Metro Line 6 driverless trains has entered night-time testing on the capital’s network, beginning the next stage of preparations to convert the circular route to automated operation. The trains are planned to enter passenger service in 2027.

The initial Madrid trials are taking place without passengers on Lines 10 and 11, with drivers still in control at this stage. Testing is due to expand to Line 12 before moving to Line 6 once the infrastructure required for automation has been completed.

The fleet consists of 48 CAF trains, ordered at a cost of EUR 531.2 million. The procurement covers an initial batch of 40 units and a subsequent order for another eight. Production is taking place at CAF facilities in Beasain and Irún.

Earlier in the programme, the first CAF Series 10000 trains underwent dynamic testing at the manufacturer’s Corella facility in Navarra. CAF uses the 4 km test circuit, located on the Soria–Castejón railway, to validate different types of rolling stock. By May, two trainsets had been completed, with another two at an advanced stage of assembly.

The first two units were scheduled for transfer to Madrid from July after functional validation at Corella. Once in the capital, they were to be distributed among several Metro de Madrid depots before starting night-time runs during engineering hours.

Madrid Metro Line 6 driverless trains and automation

The new Series 10000 trains have been developed for Line 6, the circular route that carries more than 400,000 passengers a day and is the busiest line in the Madrid Metro network.

Once the necessary technical works are finished, Line 6 is planned to become Metro de Madrid’s first line with fully automated operation. The trains are designed for unattended service at GoA 4 level.

That operating model will rely on the adaptation of the CBTC system by Alstom and the installation of platform screen doors at stations. The screen doors are required for automated trains to operate safely.

Infrastructure changes are being made across the line’s 28 stations as part of the wider Line 6 modernisation programme. Line 6 was also partially closed for several months during 2025 while preparations for automation were carried out.

The planned changes are intended to increase capacity and allow trains to run at two-minute intervals.

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CAF Series 10000 trains increase passenger capacity

Each new six-car train measures more than 109 metres in length and will accommodate up to 1,385 passengers, including 165 seated passengers.

Compared with the rolling stock currently operating on the route, passenger capacity is expected to rise by about 17%. The absence of a conventional driver’s cab frees additional space at the ends of the train, while fully open gangways create a more continuous passenger area through the vehicles.

The trains will include designated accommodation for passengers with reduced mobility, along with spaces for bicycles and pushchairs. Passenger information will be provided through acoustic and visual systems.

Other onboard equipment includes air conditioning, CCTV and charging points for mobile devices. Accessibility features also include induction loops for passengers using hearing aids.

The exterior design will retain Madrid Metro’s established visual identity, with a predominantly white finish and blue doors for recognition and visibility.

The new trains are designed for a maximum operating speed of 110 km/h. According to Metro de Madrid, this is 33% faster than the existing fleet, although the sections where that speed will be reached have not been specified.

Energy consumption is also expected to be around 20% lower than that of the trains now in service.

Night-time dynamic testing covers safety and reliability

Before the Series 10000 fleet can enter commercial operation, the trains must complete a technical validation programme covering both the vehicles and their interaction with railway infrastructure and systems.

The night-time dynamic testing covers safety, reliability, dynamic performance, passenger comfort and interoperability with other railway systems. Siemens traction equipment is installed on the trains, alongside passenger information and safety technologies.

The earlier Corella testing phase focused on functional validation before the vehicles were transferred to Madrid. Once testing on Lines 10, 11 and 12 has been completed and the Line 6 works allow it, the programme will shift to the circular route.

The trains will then move from manual testing to operation in fully automatic mode.

Platform screen doors require temporary Line 6 closure

The conversion of Line 6 is also affecting passenger services while infrastructure work continues.

Metro de Madrid scheduled a suspension of service on the southern section between Sainz de Baranda and Laguna for the weekend of August 22–23. Both stations at the ends of the affected section were to remain open.

Free replacement buses were planned to maintain surface connections for passengers during the closure, with normal metro service scheduled to return on Monday, August 24.

The interruption was required for work associated with the installation of platform screen doors, which cannot be carried out while normal metro operations continue.

Madrid authorities have concentrated a substantial share of network renovation and maintenance work during the summer, when passenger demand is lower.

Elsewhere on the network, Cuzco station on Line 10 was scheduled to reopen on August 25. On Line 7, services between Gregorio Marañón and Pitis were due to resume on August 29.

What will change for passengers

The shift to automated operation involves more than introducing the 48 new trains. Madrid is carrying out a €168.5 million infrastructure programme on Line 6, while a separate €8 million project is adapting platforms at all 28 stations for automatic platform doors. The work includes correcting the height difference between trains and platforms as part of preparations for the new operating system.

Metro de Madrid is also preparing staff for the change. Training has begun for 117 employees who will work in roles covering service supervision, centralised control, passenger assistance and the management of operational incidents once the automated model is introduced.

The main focus of the programme remains Line 6. Once the modernisation and testing are complete, the route is intended to combine higher-capacity trains, two-minute intervals and fully automated operation, with the new CAF fleet entering service from 2027.