BENGALURU: First indigenously built coaches of Namma Metro have been recently given the green signal to be inducted into operations by the Railway Board. The seven brand new trains with 42 coaches, readied by BEML, are stationed at Peenya. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) now has a fleet of 57 trains with six cars each. They will be mainly used on the Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield line, which is set to be launched by year-end.
The Railway Board communicated to the BMRCL director on May 18 that the coaches have been cleared to run at a maximum speed of 80kmph. It has also given permission to use the rolling stock for the Purple and Green Line corridors.
A top Metro source said, “While the bogey was readied by Hyundai ROTEM in our previous trains, the latest batch has been made by BEML and some together too. At least 65 per cent of parts in these coaches are Made in India.”
Each coach costs Rs 8.5 crore. RDSO, Lucknow, had conducted stringent tests and given speed certification on November 25, 2021. The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety had given its authorisation on March 4, 2022.
BMRCL MD Anjum Parwez said, “We will utilise these trains for the Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield line and between Kengeri and Challaghatta”