The Community of Madrid has recently begun testing the driverless Metro trains on the tracks of lines 10 and 11; these trains will operate on Line 6 throughout 2027. This way, the regional government is making progress with the comprehensive refurbishment of the Circular, which will become the first automated tram line in the entire network and will improve the passenger experience by increasing capacity and reducing journey intervals to as little as two minutes. 

Specifically, trials have begun with the first of the 48 trains that make up the new fleet, in which the regional government has invested more than €531 million. These operations, which take place at night and without passengers, enable the metropolitan railway company to assess various parameters relating to safety, reliability, dynamic performance, comfort and interoperability across the entire railway system. 

The new trains consist of six carriages and are over 109 metres long, with a capacity of up to 1,385 passengers – 17% more than the current models. Aside from its innovative design, characterised by wide aisles and the absence of a traditional driver’s cab, other notable features include its top speed, which has increased by 33% to 110 km/h, and its energy efficiency, with fuel consumption reduced by 20%.

These initial trials, which will soon be extended to the L12 line as well, will be operated by a driver. Later on, once the work currently underway has been completed, the tests will be moved to Line 6 itself and will then run automatically.

Due to work currently being carried out at the stations, Metro will suspend service on the southern section of Line 6, between Sainz de Baranda and Laguna, over the weekend of 22 and 23 August. Both facilities will remain open as terminus stations, whilst this section will be fully operational again next Monday, the 24th. As is usually the case with this type of work, the metropolitan transport company will provide users with free buses covering the route at ground level. During this period, work will be carried out on the installation of platform screen doors, which is incompatible with the network’s normal operations. This ensures greater efficiency in carrying out all the work required to install these components, which are essential to the automation process of the Circular. Next week, the underground service will return to normal across various sections of the network that have undergone renovation and maintenance work this summer, taking advantage of the usual drop in passenger numbers at this time of year to minimise disruption. Cuzco (L10) is therefore scheduled to reopen on 25 August, whilst service on Line 7, between Gregorio Marañón and Pitis, will resume on 29 August.