The long-pending 19-km Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro—which connects Electronics City, home to companies like Infosys and Biocon—is finally on track, with BMRCL receiving the third set of trains on Tuesday night.
“We have unloaded all six-cars at Hebbagodi depot near Electronics City on Tuesday. The train will be formed today, and testing will begin from tomorrow,” a BMRCL source told Moneycontrol. He added that two more train sets are expected by the end of July or in the first week of August.
Also, read: Titagarh rolls out first driverless train for Bengaluru Metro’s Yellow Line
Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on April 30 had said that the six-car train was shipped from Titagarh’s factory in Uttarpara, West Bengal. The Metro agency plans to commence Yellow Line operations with three trains.
Officials said that the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) inspection will happen soon. "We have submitted all the documents to the CMRS, and they are currently under review. We are hopeful that the CMRS inspection will take place soon."
As Moneycontrol first reported, BMRCL plans to start operations with three trains running at 30-minute intervals. Initially, the Yellow Line will stop only at major stations like RV Road, Jayadeva Hospital, Central Silk Board, Infosys, and Bommasandra.
Regular services with all station stops will begin once more trains are deployed. In total, 90 coaches—equivalent to 15 six-car trains—are planned for the Yellow Line.
Also, read: Major stations first: Bengaluru Metro scrambles with plan B for Electronics City line due to train crunch
BMRCL began slow trial runs on the Yellow Line (Bommasandra–RV Road) on March 7, 2024. Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd, which is manufacturing its first stainless steel, automated driverless trainsets, rolled out the first driverless train on January 6, 2025.
The prototype of the first six-coach train for the Electronics City Metro was shipped from Shanghai, China on January 24, 2024, and arrived in Bengaluru on February 14, 2024. BMRCL has been conducting trials using the two trains currently available. Titagarh plans to ramp up production to deliver two trains per month by September 2025.
In February 2025, CMRS (South Circle) chief AM Chowdhary inspected two CRRC Nanjing Puzhen trains—one imported from China and the other assembled by its Indian partner, Titagarh Rail Systems.
Also, read: How a two-headed bird and Lalbagh glass house inspired Bengaluru Metro's driverless train design
In December 2019, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen was awarded the contract to supply 216 coaches to BMRCL, with a delivery timeline of 173 weeks. The Yellow Line was originally scheduled to be operational in December 2021. The delay in coach delivery is largely attributed to the Indo-China border standoff of June 2020. CRRC subsequently faced challenges in identifying a local manufacturer to meet the 75 percent local production mandate under the Make in India initiative. Other factors, including Covid-19, FDI policy changes, and trade restrictions with China, also contributed to delays. Eventually, CRRC partnered with Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail Systems to manufacture and supply the coaches.
Also, read: CRRC’s Metro train prototype from China arrives for Bengaluru's Purple Line
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