Yellow Line to begin in Aug with 25k riders/day, but frequency will be 20-min

Bengaluru: Only around 25,000 passengers are expected to travel by Namma Metro’s Yellow Line daily once it opens with three trains in August. However, ridership will likely rise to two lakh once full-scale operations begin next year. 

The 19.15-km RV Road-Bommasandra corridor is likely to open with all 16 stations operational, although there are also plans to open only seven stations between the two termini. 

If all 16 stations open, trains will run every 20 minutes from 5 am to 11 pm, regardless of peak hours, making about 30-40 round trips daily. Each roundtrip will take about 80 minutes. But if only seven stations are operational, the frequency would be higher, according to multiple officials in Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL). 

“Both options are on the table but we are inclined towards opening all 16 stations. Mathematically, it is possible to run three trains every 20-25 minutes and cover the entire line. A final decision will be taken based on the CMRS report,” a high-ranking official told DH. 

A second senior official confirmed the plan and added that the BMRCL would earn an additional Rs 10-15 lakh daily by operating three trains. 

“We expect ridership to reach at least 1.5 lakh and additional daily farebox revenue of Rs 60 lakh once the Yellow Line is fully operational with 15 trains. But with only three trains, ridership may be only 20,000-25,000, yielding just Rs 10-15 lakh daily,” the official said. 

The BMRCL may take measures to prevent overcrowding, especially during peak hours. These may include opening only some entrances at the stations. 

“We will be working at full strength. All our staff, train crews and security personnel will be deployed but crowd-control measures may be necessary,” the first official said. 

The second official warned of “difficulties” at RV Road, the interchange station with the Green Line. 

“We are already under fire for delaying the Yellow Line. Once operations begin, things might not go smoothly. With only three trains per hour, there may be overcrowding. Not everyone will be willing to wait 20 minutes for a train,” the official added. 

A fourth train is expected to arrive in Bengaluru by August 10 but it will undergo testing — at the depot and on the mainline — for at least two weeks. 

“If it arrives after passenger operations begin, mainline testing can only be done at night, further delaying its induction,” the official said. 

On Monday, A M Chowdhary, Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (Southern Circle), began a three-day statutory safety inspection of the Yellow Line. 

The CMRS report is expected in about a week later. BMRCL will need a week or more to comply with the CMRS report. Passenger operations can start only afterwards.