Bengaluru's Metro ridership soars past 10 lakh, Yellow Line drives historic high

Bengaluru’s Namma Metro shattered records on Monday as daily ridership surged past the 10-lakh milestone, propelled by the newly inaugurated Yellow Line. According to data from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), approximately 10.5 lakh passengers traversed the city’s 96-kilometre network spanning the Purple, Green and Yellow lines, TOI reported.

The 19-kilometre Yellow Line, connecting RV Road to Bommasandra, made a resounding debut with over 83,000 passengers on its first day of operations, far exceeding BMRCL’s initial projections of 25,000 to 30,000 riders. The RV Road interchange station, also newly opened, saw more than 30,000 commuters transferring between the Green and Yellow lines.

BMRCL had anticipated modest numbers, operating just three train sets capable of 40-plus round trips daily. Each six-coach train accommodates nearly 2,000 passengers, but demand quickly outpaced capacity. “Despite waits of 25 to 30 minutes, passengers still preferred the Metro,” a commuter was cited by TOI as saying.

The corporation is set to introduce a fourth train set by August’s end, which could reduce intervals to 20 minutes. A BMRCL official was cited by TOI as saying that joyriders typically inflate initial numbers, adding, “It will take a couple of weeks for operations to stabilise and then we will get an idea of the actual number of regular users.”

To further streamline commutes, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) rolled out feeder bus services for the Yellow Line on Tuesday. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy inaugurated four routes, deploying 12 buses for nearly 100 daily trips. These will link key stations along Hosur Road, including Huskur Road, Electronics City and Bommasandra.