Is Pink the new Yellow for Bengaluru's Namma Metro? Equipment shortage hits train supply

Bengaluru: Is Pink the new Yellow for Bengaluru Metro? Well, perhaps. The 7.5-km elevated section of the Pink Line is ready but trial runs are stalled for want of trains. 

Bengaluru-headquartered PSU BEML, contracted to deliver a prototype train in June 2025, has yet to do so. The company is facing a shortage of major equipment and hasn't begun type tests due to the lack of facilities in India, multiple officials said. 

BEML has now promised to deliver the prototype in December but authoritative sources say type tests could take up to six months, potentially delaying the opening of the Kalena Agrahara-Tavarekere section beyond May 2026. 

The delay is reminiscent of the Yellow Line, which opened nearly two years late for similiar reasons. 

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will need 6-8 trains to open the elevated line within seven months but only two trains are currently being manufactured at BEML's city plant, one of the officials said. 

BEML was awarded a Rs 3,177-crore contract on August 7, 2023, to supply 53 six-coach driverless trainsets for Namma Metro. These included 37 trains for the Blue Line (Silk Board Junction-KR Pura-Kempegowda International Airport; 58.19 km) and 16 trains for the Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara-Nagavara; 21.26 km). In March 2025, BEML received a variation order worth Rs 405 crore for seven more trains for the Pink Line for Rs 405 crore. 

The BMRCL plans to open the Pink Line in two phases — the elevated section in May 2026 and the 13.76-km underground section (Dairy Circle-Nagavara) in December 2026. However, train supply delays threaten these targets. 

A senior BMRCL official with knowledge of the matter said prototype train manufacturing was delayed primarily due to the unavailability of major equipment and type tests (see the box). 

"These issues could push back approvals from the Ministry of Railways and the Research Designs and Standards Organisations (RDSO), as well as the statutory clearance by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS)," the official told DH. 

Once the prototype arrives, the BMRCL will carry out its own tests, both at the depot and on the mainline. 

At the same time, it will submit documents to the RDSO, which will conduct oscillation trials and issue a speed certificate. The CMRS will then inspect the train and issue a safety certificate. 

In August, BEML Chairman and Managing Director Shantanu Roy had told DH that prototype manufacturing was in advanced stages, with nearly half the work complete, and that 20 trains would be delivered by March 2026. 

However, based on current progress, BEML is unlikely to supply even eight trains in the next five months. 

A spokesperson for BEML declined to comment. 

What's causing the delay?

BEML has to supply 60 trains for Namma Metro. The prototype, expected in June, will now arrive only in December. 

The delay is due to unavailability of major equipment such as gearbox assembly, motor wheel sets, Current Collection Device and door items. 

There is also a delay in type tests — bogey fatigue, crash and carbody squeeze tests — due to unavailability of facilities in India. The bogey fatigue test involves placing loads on different parts of the coach. The process alone takes three months as millions of cycles are required.