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Madrid begins testing its driverless trains and prepares a new closure on L6
Metro de Madrid is already testing on the network the first automated trains that will run on Line 6 from 2027. Trials have begun on Lines 10 and 11 at night, without passengers and with a driver on board, before moving permanently to the Circular line.
The first of the 48 new trains is already running on Madrid’s tracks to check its safety, reliability, performance and comfort. Tests will soon also be extended to line 12 and, once the adaptation works are complete, will begin directly on the L6 with automated operation.
The renewal will bring an important change for Metro’s most heavily used line. The Community has invested more than 531 million euros in the new trains and expects that, with automation, frequencies may be reduced to as little as two minutes at times of greatest demand.
The trains will consist of six carriages and measure more than 109 metres. They will be able to carry up to 1,385 passengers, 17% more than the current trains, and will dispense with the traditional driver’s cab to gain interior space. They will also reach 110 kilometres per hour and consume around 20% less energy.
The transformation will bring fresh inconvenience for travellers this very weekend. Metro will close the L6 between Sainz de Baranda and Laguna on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August. The two stations will remain open as termini and the full section will operate again on Monday 24.
During the closure there will be free buses covering the route on the surface. Metro will use those two days to advance the installation of platform screen doors, necessary for future trains to be able to run automatically and stop in coordination with the station doors.
Modernising the Circular does not end with the trains. The 28 stations need to adapt their platforms and incorporate new safety and accessibility systems before they can operate without a driver. The L6 carries more than 400,000 passengers every day and will be the first line in the entire Madrid network to complete this transformation.
The end of August will also bring the gradual restoration of other services affected by summer works. Cuzco, on line 10, is scheduled to reopen on 25 August, while the section of line 7 between Gregorio Marañón and Pitis will operate again on the 29th. Automation of the L6 is thus entering its most visible phase: first with overnight tests and occasional closures and, from 2027, with a completely new way of travelling on Metro’s busiest line.