On track: Fourth train for Metro Yellow Line on the way

Bengaluru: Two coaches of the fourth driverless trainset for Namma Metro’s Yellow Line were dispatched on Monday night by Bengal-based Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), according to well-placed sources. 

Four more coaches have been packed and will be dispatched on Tuesday. Together, the six coaches will form a complete trainset and are expected to reach Bengaluru in the next two weeks depending on road and traffic conditions, the sources added. 

“TRSL had planned to send three coaches on Monday night, but heavy rains in Kolkata meant only two coaches could be dispatched,” a source told DH.  The coaches are transported by trailers, which have capacity and speed restrictions, a second source said. 

The dispatch comes as Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) prepares to open the long-delayed Yellow Line in August. 

Last week, the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (Southern Circle) conducted a safety inspection of the 19.15-km RV Road-Bommasandra corridor. His report is expected this week. 

The BMRCL plans to open the Yellow Line in August with three trains and a 20-minute frequency regardless of peak hours, as DH reported earlier. 

Although the fourth trainset is expected to arrive by mid-August, it will undergo testing on the mainline for at least two weeks before being inducted into passenger service, a senior BMRCL official said. 

TRSL is making trains for Namma Metro under a sub-contract with China’s CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, which won a Rs 1,578-crore contract to supply 36 trainsets. Fifteen trainsets are for the Yellow Line and the rest for the Purple and Green lines. 

The BMRCL has so far received four trains: three for the Yellow Line and one for the Purple Line. 

The sources said that TRSL would disptach the fifth trainset in August and the sixth by late August or early September. Both trainsets are in the advanced stages of outfitting, which includes installation of cabinet components, underframe equipment, engine propulsion system, battery control modules, electricals, lighting, HVAC and other systems. The trainsets will undergo static testing before being packed for dispatch. 

The company is also set to receive five more carbody shells from China, which will be outfitted in the next few months. 

The BMRCL expects to receive all 15 trains by March 2026. Peak-hour frequency on the Yellow Line will then improve to five minutes or less.