Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd on Tuesday announced a new technology partnership with ABB India Ltd to jointly develop and localise propulsion systems for 25 kV driverless metro projects in India, strengthening domestic capabilities in a critical segment of metro rail technology.
The agreement, signed on January 27, focuses on propulsion systems and the transfer of technology for the Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS), a core digital system that manages and monitors a metro train’s operations. Under the arrangement, ABB India will support the design, manufacturing, supply, testing, installation supervision and commissioning of these systems for 25 kV AC metro applications.
According to the companies, the TCMS developed under this partnership will initially operate at Grade of Automation 2 (GoA2), where trains are semi-automated, and will be designed to allow upgrades up to GoA4, which enables fully driverless operations. This makes the technology future-ready as Indian cities increasingly move towards higher levels of metro automation.
The collaboration is directly linked to Titagarh’s existing metro coach contract with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. Titagarh had earlier won an order to supply 240 metro coaches for Mumbai’s expanding metro network. This includes 132 coaches for Metro Line 5 and 108 coaches for Metro Line 6.
Metro Line 5 runs from Kapurbawadi to Kalyan APMC and spans 24.52 kilometres with 17 stations, while Metro Line 6 connects Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli along the Eastern Express Highway, covering 15.60 kilometres with 13 stations. In addition to supplying the coaches, the contract includes a two-year defect liability period, followed by five years of maintenance.
As part of the new agreement, ABB India will also enable the gradual transfer of manufacturing and co-production of key propulsion components such as converters and traction motors for these metro projects. This step is expected to significantly raise the level of local manufacturing content in metro trains, an area where India has traditionally depended on imported high-technology systems.
Titagarh said the partnership aligns with its long-term strategy under the government’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. In 2023, the company had already acquired TCMS technology for 750 V metro systems through an earlier agreement with ABB. With the latest tie-up covering 25 kV systems, Titagarh has now built capabilities across the main traction technologies used in Indian metro networks.
To support this expansion, the company set up a dedicated TCMS laboratory last year at its design centre in Bengaluru. This facility is intended to support testing, integration and future development of train control systems.
Titagarh is already manufacturing traction motors for locomotives and electric multiple units (EMUs). It has also recently developed traction converters for EMUs under a previous manufacturing transfer agreement with ABB. Under the new arrangement, the company will progressively co-produce full propulsion systems for metro applications, which are considered among the most complex and precision-driven components in modern rolling stock.
Propulsion systems, along with TCMS, play a central role in controlling speed, braking, energy use and real-time monitoring of train performance. By moving more of this manufacturing in-house, Titagarh aims to improve backward integration, reduce reliance on overseas suppliers and move closer to majority localisation in metro projects.
The development comes at a time when metro rail projects are expanding rapidly across India, with several cities planning or implementing driverless and semi-automated systems. Greater localisation of critical technology could help reduce costs, improve maintenance response times and support faster execution of future metro projects.
Shares of Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd closed at ₹789 on the BSE on Tuesday, up 0.46 percent from the previous close.