BENGALURU: Following the departure of the first domestically manufactured driverless train to Bengaluru from Titagarh Rail Systems on Monday afternoon, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation announced that it will go ahead with the opening of the Yellow Line by March-end or early April. It will be the second train for the 19.15-km RV Road-Bommasandra Line, and the third is expected by February-end. Trains will initially run with a 30-min gap, which will decrease as additional trains are introduced, said a senior BMRCL official.
BMRCL had earlier announced plans to launch it only by mid-2025, as it didn’t want to operate with poor frequency. “However, there’s a lot of demand for the line, so we decided to start skeletal operations,” he added.
The first driverless train from China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) had reached Bengaluru on February 14, 2024, via Chennai port. However, its Indian partner, Titagarh Rail Systems, failed to deliver the first train, and delayed the launch of the Yellow Line. The official said, “This train is expected to arrive by January 20. We need to conduct extensive testing, including simulations of collisions between trains. This process will take about a week, and we aim to complete it by the first week of February. Titagarh has assured us the third train will be delivered by end of February.”
BMRCL will have three trains in operation following this. “We plan to approach the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for inspection by early March, and launch commercial operations by March-end or early April,” he said. Additionally, Lucknow-based Rail Design and Standards Organisation has completed tests, and certification is expected shortly, he added.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya told TNIE, “I am trying to ensure that we open by March-end. I had a discussion with top BMRCL officials today and they say it is possible. I will be approaching the PMO for suitable launch dates.”
An official statement from Titagarh said, “We will deliver two more train sets by April-end. The company will ramp up production and deliver two trains a month by September 2025.” BMRCL had signed a contract with CRRC in 2019 for Rs 1,578 crore for 216 coaches, and has got 12 coaches.
Speaking virtually at the launch of the event, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Mahohar Lal Khattar billed MP Surya as ‘Metro Mitra’ for his persistent efforts in following up the city’s Metro projects. “In a city where 1.2 crore vehicles clog the roads daily, the Yellow Line could serve over 2.5 lakh passengers, easing congestion in critical corridors like Electronics City and Silk Board,” he said.