Bengaluru’s much-anticipated Yellow Line of Namma Metro, meant to ease congestion on busy stretches like Silk Board and Bommasandra, is lastly set to open. Nevertheless, the reduction could also be short-lived for commuters. Trains will run at 25-minute intervals initially, as solely three practice units are prepared for service.
Purpose for 25-Min Delay?
This restricted begin can carry barely 25,000–30,000 passengers every day, far under the two–3 lakh capability promised when the ₹400-crore-per-kilometre venture was deliberate. The gradual rollout isn’t as a result of last-minute lapses, however the results of years of delays attributable to the pandemic, crimson tape, diplomatic hurdles, and provide chain disruptions, in response to a report by Occasions of India.
From contract to problems
The difficulty started in December 2019 when BMRCL awarded Chinese language agency CRRC Nanjing Puzhen a contract for 216 coaches. Twelve trains have been to be in-built China, with the remainder manufactured in India underneath the ‘Make in India’ plan. CRRC even purchased 50 acres in Andhra Pradesh for the manufacturing facility.
By 2021, the plan had stalled. CRRC didn’t get the required clearances to start out manufacturing in India. In December that yr, BMRCL issued a termination discover, and the matter went to courtroom. In April 2022, Karnataka Excessive Court docket allowed the contract to proceed, with additional time granted to CRRC.
The Chinese language firm partnered with Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd in Could 2022 to supply 34 trains in India. However geopolitical tensions after the Galwan conflict introduced new issues — CRRC’s engineers couldn’t get visas to enter India for over a yr. With out them, key meeting and testing work was caught.
Sluggish arrival of trains
Visas have been lastly issued in December 2023, permitting CRRC groups to work on-site. The primary prototype from China arrived in February 2024 for testing. Indian-made trains began rolling out solely in Could 2024. As of August 2025, BMRCL has simply three practice units. A fourth is anticipated quickly, which may carry down the wait time to twenty minutes. The total fleet of 15 trains which is required for 5-minute peak-time frequency is reportedly anticipated by March 2026.
Why Trains Can’t Be Borrowed
The Yellow Line makes use of CBTC (Communications-Based mostly Practice Management), a contemporary signalling system that permits nearer practice intervals and higher power effectivity. However this method is incompatible with trains on the Purple and Inexperienced Strains, which use completely different know-how. Retrofitting could be expensive and time-consuming.
Furthermore, the 57 trains on the present strains are barely sufficient for their very own schedules, and extra rolling inventory there has additionally been delayed.
