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Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is planning to reduce crowding during peak hours on the Blue Line (Airport-Wimco Nagar) and the Green Line (Chennai Central-St Thomas Mount). To achieve this, CMRL will introduce longer six-car trains by the end of 2028. Tenders have already been issued to buy 28
new trains, which will increase passenger capacity and reduce waiting time, possibly bringing down train intervals to around four minutes.
Addition of New Car Trains
Currently, the metro uses four-car trains that can carry about 1,200 passengers. The new six-car trains will be able to carry up to 1,800 passengers. Once these 28 new trains are added to the existing fleet of 52 four-car trains, the overall frequency of services will increase on both the major routes. Many other cities, such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi, already operate six-car metro trains.
Increased Ridership
CMRL recently saw strong ridership numbers, crossing one crore passengers in July, with an average of around 90 lakh commuters each month over the past year. A CMRL official said that with upcoming Phase-I extensions to Pattabiram and Kilambakkam and the future completion of Phase-II, the number of passengers is expected to grow even more. Therefore, larger trains are necessary. He also mentioned that the stations can already support six-car trains, and they will be introduced first during busy hours, with announcements guiding passengers on where to stand.
Requirement of Station Upgradation
Some station upgrades are still required, but the contractor will carry out this work without disrupting daily operations. Underground stations will also get full platform screen doors as part of the improvements.
Like the trains ordered for Phase II, the new six-car sets will be fully built in India. At least 60% of the cost must be spent within the country on materials, equipment, or labour. These trains will also come with advanced GoA4 automation technology, enabling driverless operation in the future, although they will be manually operated at first.
