Bengaluru Metro’s 7.5-km elevated section of Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara-Tavarekere) will begin operations with five “driverless-capable” trains by June, with the prototype to be unveiled on December 11, sources told Moneycontrol.
The remaining 13.7-km underground section between Dairy Circle and Nagawara is expected to be ready by December next for the much-delayed line.
“We will open the elevated section of Pink Line with five trains by June 2026. All 16 trains will be delivered for Pink Line by the time the entire stretch (Kalena Agrahara-Nagawara) is opened for commercial service in December 2026,” a BMRCL official told Moneycontrol.
Also read: Light at the end of the tunnel? Bengaluru Metro's Pink Line likely to be ready by next year
Another seven trains for the line would be commissioned after 16 trains for ORR Metro (Central Silk Board-KR Pura) are received. BEML will deliver a minimum of two trainsets a month from April, he said.
The 21-km Pink Line will have 23 trainsets, with trains running every 4.5 minutes during peak hours and every 8 minutes during non-peak hours. Operations are scheduled from 5 am to midnight.
Pink Line has missed multiple deadlines. While the elevated section was to open in September 2025 and underground in June 2026, the deadlines were pushed to March 2026 and September 2026. They have now further been extended to June 2026 and December 2026, respectively.
Also read: BEML receives Rs 3,177 crore rolling stock order from Bengaluru Metro
In August 2023, BEML received a Rs 3,177-crore order to supply 318 coaches to BMRCL, including 96 for Pink Line.
BEML will also be responsible for maintaining the coaches for 15 years. This is the first time that BMRCL has a maintenance clause in the tender.
Pink Line was to receive its first train by June 2025 but BEML missed multiple deadlines.
In March, BEML received another order, worth Rs 405 crore, to supply seven more trains (42 cars) for the Pink Line.
1st prototype to be unveiled on December 11
First six-coach prototype train for Pink Line, to be unveiled on December 11, will be dispatched to Kothanur depot by trailers after December 15, officials said.
BMRCL chief PRO BL Yeshwanth Chavan told Moneycontrol, “The prototype will be rolled out from BEML on December 11 and then sent to Kothanur depot. We expect all 16 trains to be available before the full Pink Line is completed in December 2026.”
The prototype will undergo a battery of tests for at least five months. “We hope to complete all the processes and start operations on the elevated section by end-May or June 2026,” he said.
Also read: Bengaluru Metro Phase 2 deadline pushed to Sept 2026; Pink Line to open in two phases
Driverless trains
Like Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra), Pink Line will use a modern communication-based train control (CBTC) system.
BMRCL said fully automated driverless (GoA-4) operations on the Pink Line will begin later, with the corridor initially opening in semi-automated (GoA-2) mode, similar to Yellow Line.
BMRCL will soon award the order to outsource 172 train operators for Yellow and Pink Lines.
Also read: Bengaluru Metro plans 4-minute frequency across all corridors in two years
Metro automation shifts operational duties from drivers to automated systems, with different grades of automation (GoA).
GoA-2 operations require a driver to manage train doors and controls. However, trains and signalling on the Yellow and Blue Lines are designed for GoA-4 — fully driverless, unattended operations with no staff onboard.
In India, Delhi Metro has GoA-4 trains on Magenta and Pink Lines, though they still have drivers.
BMRCL officials said they will continue with drivers until the system proves stable and passengers are comfortable travelling without staff on board.
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