SYSTRA confirms its leadership in metro line design with three major contracts

First automated metros in Stockholm and Madrid

In Sweden, Region Stockholm’s Administration for Extended Metro has selected SYSTRA to design the systems for its first automated metro, the Yellow Line. Entirely new with fresh rolling stock, it will connect the centre-west to the south of Stockholm, between Älvsjö and Fridhemsplan, via six stations on a fully underground route. It is scheduled to enter service in 2034, with a transport capacity of up to 75,000 passengers per day by 2050.

This project firmly establishes the Group’s business in Sweden and, more broadly, in Scandinavia. It is SYSTRA’s first major metro contract in Stockholm, on which we will develop the technical and functional procurement documentation for the GoA 4 traffic system, the most advanced technology available today. The project will include signalling, passenger vehicles, traction power, the communication network and platform screen doors.

In Spain, SYSTRA Ibérica, in partnership with Ardanuy, is participating in the automation of Madrid Metro Line 6, one of the busiest on the network due to its circular route, which serves as a backbone for travel in the capital. SYSTRA will also provide specialised technical assistance for systems integration to support the operator, Metro de Madrid.

The project involves the installation of a GoA 4 automatic control system and platform screen doors. Automation will improve operational fluidity by increasing train speed and frequency, and efficiency by reducing the number of switches. It is scheduled to come into service in 2027.

A twenty-first metro network accompanied by SYSTRA in India

SYSTRA is consolidating its presence in India with a new metro in Visakhapatnam, more commonly known as Vizag, a city of 2.4 million inhabitants located on the east coast of India. The public authority Andhra Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (APMRCL) selected SYSTRA’s bid from among six bids received from local and international engineering firms.

In a role similar to that of a project manager, SYSTRA’s teams will be responsible for planning, procurement and tendering, construction supervision and project commissioning. The Visakhapatnam Metro will have three lines in its first phase, covering a total of 46 kilometres and 42 stations, with the aim of improving urban mobility, reducing road congestion and supporting the development of the region, which is set to become a major financial hub and key technology centre in India.

Since 1984, SYSTRA has accompanied almost all Indian cities with a metro system, having worked on 21 of the country’s 22 metro networks.

Designing metro systems is at the heart of SYSTRA’s mission. In large cities, it is the ultimate form of public transport, connecting people, streamlining travel and improving urban spaces. From planning new lines to creating entire networks, including the design, supervision and operation phases, SYSTRA has the expertise to meet the most complex demands of operators, such as automating existing lines without interrupting service.

Jean-Charles Vollery, CEO SYSTRA

More than half a century of experience in metro design

These new metro contracts won by SYSTRA in 2025 add to the projects already carried out around the world. In France, SYSTRA is a major player in the design of the Grand Paris Express metro, with assignments on all lines of the network; in Europe, we are contributing to the metros of Barcelona, Belgrade, Cluj-Napoca, and Copenhagen, particularly in the design of new lines.

SYSTRA’s metro expertise, developed in the 1960s with the first metro studies in Mexico City (1961) and Montreal (1963), continues to expand worldwide, with pioneering projects in Australia for the Sydney and Melbourne metros, in Asia with the Hanoi metro networks in Vietnam and Taichung in Taiwan, and in the Americas with major contributions to the metro extensions of São Paulo in Brazil, Chicago in the United States, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.

In terms of automation, the Group is currently conducting projects on three continents:

• In Europe, with projects in Brussels on lines 1 and 5, in Marseille, and on line D of the Lyon metro;
• In India for the Mumbai metro;
• In the United States for the San Francisco and New York metros.

In the past, SYSTRA teams have worked on metro automation projects in France (Line 1 in Paris, Line B in Lyon) and Chile (Line 1 in Santiago).