Yellow Line: 3 more coaches on way to Bengaluru, safety inspection by May-end

Bengaluru: Three more coaches for Namma Metro's Yellow Line are on their way to Bengaluru. 

These coaches, along with another three sent earlier, are expected to reach the city and form the third trainset. 

The 19.15-km Yellow Line, connecting RV Road with Bommasandra, has not opened due to a shortage of trains. 

Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) dispatched the first set of three coaches from its West Bengal plant in late April, followed by three more on May 2. All six coaches are expected to reach the city between May 10 and 15, a senior BMRCL official said. 

BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao confirmed the latest dispatch, saying the first set of three coaches will arrive in Bengaluru by May 10-12 and the second four days later. The assembly of all six coaches into a trainset will take about a week, he told DH. 

According to the first official, the trainset will undergo static tests (at the depot), where officials will also inspect for transit-related damages. 

The next phase will involve dynamic testing on the mainline, mainly to assess signalling functionality. "These procedures will take two to three weeks," the official explained. 

The BMRCL has also completed all statutory tests for the two trainsets that arrived earlier, including multi-train tests to prevent collision. 

Test data has been sent to multinational Siemens' Spanish team, which is reviewing it to determine if any finetuning is needed. Siemens, which is providing signalling and train control systems for the BMRCL, is expected to certify the multi-train tests in a week or so, the official explained. 

Meantime, the BMRCL hopes the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (Southern Range) will conduct the statutory inspection of the Yellow Line by May-end. Most required documents have already been submitted, while the signalling certification will be sent later. 

During the inspection, the CMRS will inspect tracks, stations, fire systems, entry/exit points, trainsets, etc, before granting approval. The BMRCL will need about two weeks to comply with any recommendations. 

Based on this timeline, the Yellow Line is expected to become operational by June-end. 

With just three trains, the BMRCL will open only five stations, located 4-5 km apart, and frequency will be 20-25 minutes, the official said. 

"We are not very enthusiastic about launching operations with just three trains, but we have no choice. There may be overcrowding initially," the official added.