<p>Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may have urged the Centre to revisit and rationalise metro fares, especially for daily commuters, students and low-income groups, but the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) can only reconstitute the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), sources in the know said.</p>.<p>Any fare rationalisation could cost up to Rs 400 crore a year, a burden that would have to be borne entirely by the state government.</p>.<p>Sources also pointed out that committee formation would be a long-drawn-out process. Both governments will have to nominate their representatives — current or former bureaucrats — while the third member and the chairperson will be a retired High Court judge.</p>.Who hiked Namma Metro fare in Bengaluru? Congress says Centre did, BJP says Karnataka govt asked for it.<p>The committee will review BMRCL’s finances to assess whether a fare revision is warranted. If a hike is to be avoided or withdrawn, the committee will ask the state whether it is willing to provide Shadow Cash Support (SCS) for cash loss reimbursement and interest-free sub-debt towards loan repayments.</p>.<p>Besides high operational costs, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) faces rising maintenance costs due to ageing assets, the expiry of the Defects Liability Period, and expensive spares.</p>.<p>It also bears operational losses and loan repayments entirely, with the state stepping in only if the corporation is unable to meet these expenses. The Centre, despite being a joint stakeholder in the BMRCL, provides no support for them.</p>.<p>For the Delhi Metro, the Centre fully bears the annual cost of around Rs 1,200 crore for deploying about 15,000 CISF personnel at stations. In contrast, security expenses for the Bengaluru Metro are borne by the BMRCL.</p>.<p>The BMRCL also does not have an internally generated Current Account Surplus (CAS) to meet emergent requirements and depends on the state for support.</p>.<p>In 2023–24, the BMRCL recorded a profit before depreciation (and after interest) of Rs 307.67 crore. However, in 2024–25, this turned into a loss of Rs 167.41 crore, driven by a high finance cost of Rs 652.11 crore.</p>.<p>Without annual fare revision, the BMRCL’s net loss would touch Rs 577 crore by 2029–30, the FFC had noted.</p>.<p>As of 2024–25, BMRCL’s borrowings stood at Rs 17,071.1 crore, with liabilities and provisions amounting to Rs 8,855.05 crore.</p>.<p>Between 2025–26 and 2029–30, the BMRCL faces loan repayments of Rs 9,651.6 crore and depreciation costs of Rs 5,721.6 crore.</p>.<p>Sources said delays in financial support from the state could impact service quality, especially the upkeep of signalling, electrical and mechanical systems. The state, for instance, is yet to release Rs 400 crore towards loan repayments.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may have urged the Centre to revisit and rationalise metro fares, especially for daily commuters, students and low-income groups, but the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) can only reconstitute the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), sources in the know said.</p>.<p>Any fare rationalisation could cost up to Rs 400 crore a year, a burden that would have to be borne entirely by the state government.</p>.<p>Sources also pointed out that committee formation would be a long-drawn-out process. Both governments will have to nominate their representatives — current or former bureaucrats — while the third member and the chairperson will be a retired High Court judge.</p>.Who hiked Namma Metro fare in Bengaluru? Congress says Centre did, BJP says Karnataka govt asked for it.<p>The committee will review BMRCL’s finances to assess whether a fare revision is warranted. If a hike is to be avoided or withdrawn, the committee will ask the state whether it is willing to provide Shadow Cash Support (SCS) for cash loss reimbursement and interest-free sub-debt towards loan repayments.</p>.<p>Besides high operational costs, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) faces rising maintenance costs due to ageing assets, the expiry of the Defects Liability Period, and expensive spares.</p>.<p>It also bears operational losses and loan repayments entirely, with the state stepping in only if the corporation is unable to meet these expenses. The Centre, despite being a joint stakeholder in the BMRCL, provides no support for them.</p>.<p>For the Delhi Metro, the Centre fully bears the annual cost of around Rs 1,200 crore for deploying about 15,000 CISF personnel at stations. In contrast, security expenses for the Bengaluru Metro are borne by the BMRCL.</p>.<p>The BMRCL also does not have an internally generated Current Account Surplus (CAS) to meet emergent requirements and depends on the state for support.</p>.<p>In 2023–24, the BMRCL recorded a profit before depreciation (and after interest) of Rs 307.67 crore. However, in 2024–25, this turned into a loss of Rs 167.41 crore, driven by a high finance cost of Rs 652.11 crore.</p>.<p>Without annual fare revision, the BMRCL’s net loss would touch Rs 577 crore by 2029–30, the FFC had noted.</p>.<p>As of 2024–25, BMRCL’s borrowings stood at Rs 17,071.1 crore, with liabilities and provisions amounting to Rs 8,855.05 crore.</p>.<p>Between 2025–26 and 2029–30, the BMRCL faces loan repayments of Rs 9,651.6 crore and depreciation costs of Rs 5,721.6 crore.</p>.<p>Sources said delays in financial support from the state could impact service quality, especially the upkeep of signalling, electrical and mechanical systems. The state, for instance, is yet to release Rs 400 crore towards loan repayments.</p>