Santiago Metro Line 7 trains debut at Alstom plant

Santiago Metro Line 7 trains have been unveiled by Santiago Metro and Alstom. The first unit was presented on 20 January 2026 at Alstom’s Taubaté manufacturing facility in São Paulo state, Brazil.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The rollout sits within Alstom’s contract to supply 37 Metropolis trains for the future line, each formed of five cars. The fleet is being built in Taubaté and will move into a testing phase before deliveries begin in the second half of 2026, as reported by Railway-News. The production programme at the Taubaté site has also been tracked in earlier updates, as previously covered by Railway Supply.

Alstom Metropolis AS-22-UTO and onboard features

For Line 7, the trains will be the Alstom Metropolis AS-22-UTO, built for automated, driverless operation. Each 102-metre train can carry up to 1,247 passengers and includes two dedicated spaces for people with reduced mobility.

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Passenger facilities include air conditioning and an advanced passenger information system that provides route and station updates. USB-C charging ports are installed throughout the cars. Security equipment includes high-resolution cameras and intercoms that connect to the Metro control centre. The cars have four doors per carriage and wide, interconnected gangways to support passenger circulation. Alstom says the stainless-steel car bodies are intended to increase durability and reduce electricity consumption.

Suely Sola, General Manager of Alstom Brazil, said the company has been manufacturing trains in the country for more than 70 years and described the first unit for Line 7 as the latest addition to that tradition. She added that it was an honour to host customers from Chile to present the train and the work underway across the 37-train fleet.

Urbalis CBTC and delivery programme scope

Alongside the rolling stock, Alstom will provide the Urbalis CBTC signalling system, which enables automated operation and is intended to support service efficiency and safety. Under the same programme, the company has signed contracts covering track construction, the overhead power system and the supply of the electrical system. All contracts include 20 years of maintenance, incorporating predictive maintenance systems for trains and infrastructure.

Santiago Metro Line 7 construction, route and forecasts

Line 7 of the Santiago Metro is under construction and is planned as a 26-kilometre route with 19 stations. It will cross the municipalities of Renca, Cerro Navia, Quinta Normal, Santiago, Providencia, Vitacura and Las Condes. Renca, Cerro Navia and Vitacura are set to be connected to the metro network for the first time, and the line is expected to serve an estimated population of 1.6 million people.

Once operational, end-to-end travel is projected to take around 37 minutes, compared with approximately 72 minutes by bus. The line is scheduled to begin operations in 2028, and the project is expected to generate around 24,000 jobs during construction and early operation.

Waleria Haga, Alstom’s Project Director for Line 7, said the first-train presentation is an important step in a project intended to improve mobility in Chile by offering reliable, safe and accessible transportation. She added that the line should improve the commute for around 1.6 million people by making trips faster, more efficient and more sustainable, while building on Alstom’s solid experience in manufacturing railway rolling stock in Latin America and its long-standing partnership with Santiago Metro.

Santiago Metro estimates that in its first year of operation, Line 7 will carry an average of 194,000 passengers per weekday, with an annual total of around 60 million journeys. It is also projected to reduce CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption by approximately 33,000 tonnes per year.

The unveiling coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Santiago Metro. Alstom has worked with the operator for several decades and has previously supplied multiple train fleets currently in service, with the AS22 trains for Line 7 set to join those fleets as the network expands.

Santiago Metro currently operates seven lines, with 143 stations and 149 kilometres of track. Ongoing and planned expansion projects include new lines and extensions that will increase the size of the network over the coming years, adding new stations and additional route length.

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