Bengaluru Metro's Electronics City and BIEC corridors to open by April 2024: Karnataka CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated Namma Metro's KR Pura-Byappanahalli and Kengeri-Challaghatta sections on October 20

By the first half of next year, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) will have two more fully operational lines under its belt.

Speaking at the virtual inauguration of Namma Metro's KR Pura-Byappanahalli (2.1 km) and Kengeri-Challaghatta (2.05 km) sections on October 20, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said, "The 19 km Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra) and 3 km Nagasandra-Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), which is an extension of the Green Line (Nagasandra-Silk Institute) will open by April 2024."

The KR Pura-Byappanahalli and Kengeri-Challaghatta sections of the Purple Line opened on October 9 due to citizen activism and an online campaign.

Also read: Citizen activism & online campaigns play key role in getting Whitefield-Challaghatta Metro line operational

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated these sections to the nation along with the inauguration of the priority section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS Corridor at Sahibabad RapidX Station in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, on October 20.

Also read: Bengaluru: Prototype of driverless Metro train for Electronics City revealed; trains likely to arrive from China by Oct

Siddaramaiah said the 21.26 km Kalena Agrahara-Nagawara (Pink Line) will open by March 2025, and the 58 km Central Silk Board-KR Pura-Hebbal-Kempegowda International Airport (Blue Line) will open by 2026. "After completing ongoing projects, Bengaluru's operational metro network by 2026 will be 176 km, and it is expected to serve 20 lakh passengers per day," said Siddaramaiah.

Delighted by the complete launch of the Purple Line in #Bengaluru Metro! Our monumental step towards better connectivity, reduced traffic, and a greener city. Together, we're moving #Karnataka forward, ensuring every citizen reaches their destination more efficiently.… pic.twitter.com/SiKVZDQeHi

— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) October 20, 2023

The CM also requested the Union government to approve two Phase-III corridors (total: 45 km) — Kempapura-JP Nagar 4th Phase and Hosahalli-Kadabagere — at a total project cost of Rs 15,611 crore. BMRCL is now preparing the detailed project report for Phase-3A from Sarjapur to Hebbal (37 km).

Also read: Whitefield line boosts Bengaluru Metro's average daily ridership by 80K; cuts traffic congestion by 14%

"Bengaluru has been growing at a faster pace, and the Karnataka government has approved the construction of 317 km of metro lines under the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) by 2031, of which 257 km are in the operation, construction and planning stages. The remaining 60 km of metro lines' feasibility survey will be taken up shortly," said Siddaramaiah.

Also, read: Eye on Bengaluru ahead of Karnataka polls: At 6 km/year, Namma Metro on super slo-mo track

Metro being expanded in Mysuru: Modi

Drawing parallels to the expansion of the metro network in Delhi, Modi said that cities like Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Agra and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh are following a similar path. "Even in Karnataka, the metro is being expanded in Bengaluru and Mysuru," he said.

However, Karnataka government officials told Moneycontrol that they have not yet prepared the detailed project report for the Mysuru Metro, and their primary focus currently remains on Bengaluru.

I congratulate all the people of Bengaluru for the new metro facility: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/itGdGc1tZE

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 20, 2023

Also read: Eye on Bengaluru ahead of Karnataka polls: At 6 km/year, Namma Metro on super slo-mo track

Rolling stock delayed the launch?

While the entire Yellow Line was initially expected to be operational by 2021,  the deadline was revised multiple times. The Yellow Line is expected to benefit residents of areas such as Jayanagar, BTM Layout and HSR Layout, as well as people working in Electronics City and Bommasandra Industrial Area.

Similarly, the Green Line’s 3 km fully elevated northern extension from Nagasandra began in 2017 and was slated to be completed in 27 months (mid-2019). However, it missed a series of deadlines. The 3-Km elevated section has three stations: Manjunathanagar, Chikkabidarakallu (Jindal), and Madavara (BIEC). BIEC serves as a venue for major exhibitions, events, and conferences in the city, and there are many apartment complexes along Tumakuru Road

"Land acquisition issues caused the delays for the BIEC line extension. But it is not a very significant section," said a BMRCL official.

To maintain a healthy frequency of three to four minutes between trains, experts have suggested that BMRCL should have one train per kilometre. In Phase 1, BMRCL had 50 trains for 45 km, but despite the total network length increasing to 73 km, it has only 57 trains currently. Of these, 33 have been allocated to the Purple Line and 24 to the Green Line. Five trains are kept in maintenance, leaving BMRCL with 52 train sets, 30 on the Purple Line and 22 on the Green Line.

"We don't have an adequate number of rolling stock to operate trains, so we decided to postpone the launch of Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra) and BIEC section (Nagasandra-Madavara) until next year, even though the civil work is almost nearing completion," said a BMRCL source.

He said the extension of this 3-Km section (Green Line) without additional trains will impact the frequency of services.

Shortage of train sets remains a cause for concern, as six-coach trains are running at full capacity, resulting in long queues and overcrowding at stations. The shortage of rolling stock is preventing BMRCL from increasing the frequency of services.

While Delhi Metro operates eight-coach trains, Bengaluru's stations and platforms are designed for six-coach trains. Bengaluru Metro's average platform length is 135 metres, sufficient for six-coach trains but not more, as each coach is 22 metres long.

In December 2019, China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd was awarded the contract to supply 216 coaches, with delivery to BMRCL expected within 173 weeks. Of these coaches, 126 (equivalent to 21 six-coach trains) will be deployed on the Purple and Green lines, while the remaining 90 coaches (15 six-coach trains) are designated for the under-construction Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra).

However, not a single train set from the order has reached Bengaluru so far, with delays due to challenges faced by CRRC in identifying a local manufacturer to meet the 75 percent local production requirement under the Make in India initiative. Factors such as Covid-19, foreign direct investment policies, and trade restrictions with China have also contributed to the delay.

Subsequently, CRRC partnered with Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail to manufacture and supply the coaches. The first two metro trains from CRRC are expected to be shipped from China by the end of the month and are likely to arrive in Bengaluru within a month.

Also read: First batch of Metro trains for Bengaluru’s Electronics City to be shipped from China on October 18: Titagarh