Metro services on the Yellow Line in Bengaluru are set to improve from December, with trains expected to run every 12-13 minutes during peak hours, Deccan Herald reported. The change will come after Namma Metro receives its sixth trainset by the end of November.
According to senior officials at the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) dispatched the first three coaches of the sixth train on November 17. The remaining three coaches were sent from the company’s Bengal facility on November 19.
All six coaches will travel nearly 2,000 km by road and are expected to reach the Hebbagodi depot in about 10 days, arriving by the last week of November.
Once the coaches reach Bengaluru, they will be coupled and put through mandatory static tests at the depot, followed by dynamic trials on the mainline during night hours. If everything goes as planned, the new train is likely to begin passenger operations by the third or fourth week of December.
This will help reduce the existing peak-hour frequency from 15 minutes to 12-13 minutes. Officials also said that BMRCL may consider starting Yellow Line operations earlier than the current 6 am.
At present, trains on the 19.15-km RV Road–Bommasandra corridor run every 15 minutes during peak hours, between 8 am and noon and again from 4 pm to 9 pm. One additional train is kept on standby in the afternoon to manage any unexpected issues.
TRSL is currently building two more trainsets, both of which are expected to be shipped in December. BMRCL Chief Public Relations Officer B L Yashawanth Chavan said that once eight trainsets are in service, the peak-hour frequency will further improve to about 10 minutes.
TRSL is manufacturing these trains under a sub-contract from China’s CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co. Ltd., which received a Rs 1,578-crore order to supply 36 trainsets for Namma Metro.
The Yellow Line, which opened on August 11, has pushed daily metro ridership beyond one million. However, commuters have raised concerns about long waiting times and the late start of operations. On Monday, a group of passengers delayed the first train from RV Road by nearly 30 minutes, demanding that services begin earlier.
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