Madrid orders 48 driverless-capable trains for Metro Line 6

Madrid's regional government, which runs Metro de Madrid through the region's public metro company, ordered 48 new trains for Line 6, the circular route that loops around central Madrid. The trains were designed to run automatically, without a driver on board.

The Basque manufacturer CAF was chosen to build the fleet, with Siemens supplying traction equipment, according to reports. The trains replaced the line's ageing rolling stock and were meant to raise capacity and frequency on one of the busiest lines in the network.

The order mattered because it set the technical basis for automating Line 6. Converting the line also required other work, including adapting platforms at its 28 stations and installing new signalling and control systems. Regional officials said drivers would not lose their jobs and would be reassigned elsewhere on the network.

The contract became the starting point of a multi-year modernisation of the Circular line, which later moved to testing of the first train before its planned entry into service in 2027.