Good news for Bengaluru metro commuters: Coach for 4th Yellow Line train arrives, frequency to improve

Bengaluru: The first of six coaches for the Yellow Line's fourth trainset has reached Bengaluru after a 15-day road journey from Kolkata. 

The remaining five coaches are expected to arrive in two to three days, said B L Yashavanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). 

Upon their arrival, all six coaches will be coupled to form a train at the Hebbagodi depot, and undergo static testing. 

The coaches were dispatched by Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), which is making trains under a sub-contract with China's state-owned CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd. 

In December 2019, the BMRCL awarded it a Rs 1,578-crore contract to deliver 36 trainsets — 15 for the Yellow Line and 21 for the Purple and Green lines — in 173 weeks. The order was delayed as CRRC struggled to find a local partner and later faced visa issues for its engineers from China. 

CRRC delivered the prototype train for the Yellow Line in February 2024, while TRSL supplied two more trains this year. All three trains are currently in service on the 19.15-km Yellow Line, which opened on August 11 with a 25-minute frequency. 

The fourth train will undergo at least two weeks of testing on the mainline at night before entering passenger service by early September, a senior official said. 

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has stated that the fourth train will help improve frequency to 20 minutes. 

One million riders on second day too

Namma Metro's ridership crossed the one-million mark for the second consecutive day (Tuesday) as Bengalureans continued to embrace the newly launched Yellow Line. 

A total of 10,32,687 rides were reported on metro trains, including 5,25,613 via smart cards, 2,63,412 via tokens and 2,08,766 via QR codes. Total boardings on Monday were 10,48,031. 

The BMRCL's initial ridership estimate on the Yellow Line was 25,000-30,000.