Rama Krishna Sangem
In a milestone for India’s urban mobility landscape, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and TiHAN–IIT Hyderabad (IITH) have signed a strategic agreement to jointly develop next-generation autonomous mobility and intelligent navigation solutions. The MoU, formalised on 5 December 2025, brings together DMRC’s extensive operational experience and TiHAN-IITH’s world-class research ecosystem.
TiHAN–IITH and DMRC will jointly develop safe, smart, and scalable mobility solutions to transform public transport networks and enhance commuter experience. The collaboration will drive advanced research and pilot initiatives in driverless unmanned ground vehicles, robotics, intelligent transport systems, autonomous drones, and navigation technologies designed for human-free operations, while also strengthening integrated systems aimed at improving last-mile connectivity across metro ecosystems, said a press release on December 15.
Supported by the Department of Science and Technology’s National Mission on Cyber- Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), TiHAN-IITH brings strong expertise in autonomous navigation, cyber-physical systems, and real-time data acquisition, backed by its state-of- the-art aerial and terrestrial testbed. These capabilities will play a pivotal role in enabling DMRC to adopt next-generation smart mobility technologies, enhancing the efficiency, safety, accessibility, and sustainability of metro operations nationwide.
The MoU was formally signed by Dr. Santhosh Reddy, Hub Executive Officer, TiHAN–IITH, and Mr. Shobhan Chaudhuri, Advisor (R&D), DMRC, in the presence of Dr. Vikas Kumar, Managing Director, DMRC; Mr. Manuj Singhal, Director (Infrastructure), DMRC; Prof. Malla Reddy, Dean (Innovation, Translation & Startups), IITH; Prof. P. Rajalakshmi, Project Director, TiHAN–IITH and Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IITH; along with senior officials from both TiHAN-IITH and DMRC.
Toward autonomous transportation
This collaboration marks a significant milestone in India’s journey toward intelligent and autonomous urban transportation. By combining TiHAN-IITH’s research excellence, infrastructure capabilities, and autonomous navigation expertise with DMRC’s operational leadership and nationwide metro ecosystem, the partnership is poised to deliver impactful and future-ready mobility solutions for India’s rapidly growing cities.
TiHAN–IITH and DMRC look forward to pioneering advanced initiatives that will shape the future of autonomous navigation, strengthen public transport integration, and revolutionize last-mile connectivity across the nation.