MC Exclusive | Bengaluru's Electronics City Metro Corridor to get its first trains by September: Titagarh Rail MD

According to BMRCL records, the construction of the 19 km Yellow Line is nearly over, with 98-99 percent of the civil works completed.

The first two six-car prototype metro trains for Bengaluru's Electronics City Metro corridor are scheduled to arrive from China by September 2023, Titagarh Rail Systems MD and CEO Umesh Chowdhary told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview.

The Yellow Line (RV Road - Bommasandra) is a crucial Metro corridor in Bengaluru, connecting South Bengaluru and Electronics City, home to companies like Infosys and Biocon. While the civil work on the Yellow Line is nearing completion, there is uncertainty over the arrival of train sets, even though the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had set a deadline of December 2023 for the corridor.

Chowdhary said the first two sets of six-car trains (12 coaches) will be coming from China, while the remaining 204 coaches will be indigenously manufactured by Titagarh Rail in India. He said that all 216 coaches for the BMRCL will be delivered by March 2025.

"The first train (six coaches) will be supplied by CRRC  by September 2023. Titagarh will supply the first train by December 2023. Only the first two trains will come from China, and the rest will be manufactured by Titagarh in India. We plan to manufacture two trains (12 cars) per month, to complete the order within the timeline," said Chowdhary.

The coaches will be manufactured at Titagarh Rail's wagon manufacturing facility in Uttarpara near Kolkata.

In December 2019, Chinese company, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co. Ltd.  was awarded the contract to supply 216 coaches, with an expected delivery to BMRCL within 173 weeks.

However, the supply was delayed 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, as well as factors like Covid-19, foreign direct investment policies, and trade restrictions with China.

Subsequently, CRRC partnered with Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail to manufacture and supply the coaches.

Chowdhary said that the contract with CRRC is not a partnership; rather Titagarh Rail is a supplier for CRRC for the project. "For us, it's like an export contract and I'm getting the technology, but I'm not paying them for any technology transfer," he Chowdhary said.

"We had aluminium coaches before, these are stainless coaches. This move helped us enter the stainless steel coach market. Our Italian associate (Titagarh Firema S.p.A.), also has aluminium technology, and we have done aluminium coaches for Pune as well," he added.

Out of the 216 coaches, 126 (equivalent to 21 six-coach trains) will be deployed on the Purple and Green lines, while the remaining 90 coaches (equivalent to 15 six-coach trains) are designated for the Yellow Line.

Sources said CRRC engineers from China are also facing visa issues to come to Bengaluru for testing and commissioning of trains. There are also delays in getting the propulsion systems for trains, which comes from Japan.

Anjum Parwez, BMRCL Managing Director, had earlier told Moneycontrol that the entire RV Road - Bommasandra section will be opened for commercial service in one go.

According to BMRCL records, the construction of the 19 km Yellow Line is nearly over, with 98-99 percent of the civil works completed. However, concerns have been raised over a possible delay in commercial operations, as it depends on the timely supply of rolling stock.

"CRRC and Titagarh must provide a minimum of 8-10 trains for BMRCL to begin operations on the Yellow Line. Once the train sets are received, testing and trial runs are expected to take considerable time. The Lucknow-based Research, Design, and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of the Union Railway Ministry will be responsible for overseeing tests including oscillation and emergency braking distance trials. Spare trains should also be available for maintenance purposes, as BMRCL cannot deploy all trains for commercial operations" said an expert. "Due to the potential delays in the supply of rolling stock and the subsequent procedures, commercial operations of the Yellow Line could be pushed to the first quarter of next year," he said.

In contrast, BMRCL officials express optimism about meeting the December 2023 deadline. "Not all trains will have to undergo simultaneous testing and trial runs. As soon as the first two trains arrive, we will initiate testing and trial runs, while additional trains will continue to be deployed. As of now, there are no changes to the December 2023 deadline for the Yellow Line" said an official.

While the entire Yellow Line was initially expected to be operational by 2021, the deadline was revised to December 2022, then to June 2023, and now to December 2023. The Yellow Line will greatly benefit residents of areas such as Jayanagar, BTM Layout, and HSR Layout, as well as employees working in Electronics City and Bommasandra Industrial Area. Infosys has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the Konappana Agrahara station and Biocon Foundation for the Hebbagodi station.

The Yellow Line has 16 stations: Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road (RV Road), Ragigudda, Jayadeva Hospital, BTM Layout, Central Silk Board, Bommanahalli (HSR Layout), Hongasandra (Oxford College), Kudlu Gate (Muneshwara Nagar), Singasandra (Chikkabegur), Hosa Road (Basapura Road), Beratena Agrahara (Hosa Road), Electronic City, Infosys Foundation Konappana Agrahara (Electronic City – II), Huskur Road, Hebbagodi, and Bommasandra.

BMRCL officials said overall daily ridership is expected to increase from the existing 6.2 lakhs to 7 lakhs once the missing link (Byappanahalli-KR Pura) is completed. However, BMRCL is currently grappling with a severe shortage of rolling stock. With only 57 trains in its fleet, it is struggling to increase the frequency of services. The shortage  will increase crowding at stations and on trains once the new lines are completed.

BMRCL plans to commence commercial operations on the KR Puram-Byappanahalli section (2.1km) and Kengeri-Challaghatta (2km), both Purple Line extensions, by the end of August, followed by the 3 km Nagasandra-Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (Green Line extension) in November.

Bengaluru Metro currently has a network covering 69.7 km. Once the extension lines are completed, the total network length will increase to 76.8 km by the year-end. In addition to this, the 19 km Yellow Line is expected to commence operations by December-end

An expert pointed out that to maintain a frequency of three to four minutes, there should ideally be one train per kilometer. "Considering that four out of the 57 trains will be under maintenance/reserve, and most of the existing trains are over 12 years old, they require frequent maintenance requirements. As a result, the shortage of trains will lead to reduced service frequency" he said.

Currently, during peak hours, trains run at intervals of 4.5 minutes on the Purple Line and five minutes on the Green Line. During non-peak hours, the frequency is 8-10 minutes. BMRCL is currently operating end-to-end services only up to Kengeri (Purple Line) and Silk Institute (Green Line) during non-peak hours.