Major stations first: Bengaluru Metro scrambles with plan B for Electronics City line due to train crunch

The 19-km-long Yellow Line was supposed to be operational in 2021 — the revised deadline is December 2024

With Metro connectivity to Bengaluru's Electronics City — home to companies like Infosys and Biocon — being delayed due to a shortage of trains, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is readying plan B.

BMRCL officials told Moneycontrol that they are now discussing whether they could partially commence operations on the 19-km Yellow line, connecting RV Road and Bommasandra near Electronics City, with limited trains by December 2024-January 2025.

“Apart from the terminal stations (RV Road and Bommasandra), we are considering making only a few stations operational first: Infosys Foundation Konappana Agrahara, Central Silk Board, BTM Layout, and Jayadeva Hospital,” a source aware of the developments told Moneycontrol.

"With three trains, we can operate one every 30-minutes. We can increase the frequency and open more stations as we receive additional trains from the Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL). This will help make the Yellow line operational without further delay and also ease traffic congestion on Hosur Road," the source said.

Also, read: Titagarh to supply the first train for Bengaluru metro’s Electronics City corridor in August 2024

The Yellow line was supposed to be operational in December 2021 and the revised deadline is December 2024. BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao, who visited TRSL’s wagon-manufacturing facility at Uttarpara, near Kolkata, in May 2024, had said that BMRCL needs at least five train sets to commence operations on the Yellow line by November 2024, with a 20-minute headway.

In a stock exchange filing in June 2024, TRSL stated it had commenced production of train sets as part of a contract with China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) for the Bengaluru metro. However, TRSL is yet to deliver its first six-coach train, which indicates that BMRCL may not be able to commence 'regular operations' on this line by December 2024. BMRCL officials said they are expecting the first train from TRSL by November 15.

“By December, we may get another train, so we will have three trains by the year-end. Subsequently, we will receive two trains from TRSL each month, which will improve the frequency. We could commence partial operations, subject to approvals from stakeholders, by December-January,” said an official.

If BMRCL decides to commence partial operations, it will be the first of its kind in Bengaluru. "There is no point in operating only between Bommasandra and Central Silk Board, or Central Silk Board and RV Road. These delays are unforeseen, and in such circumstances, we need to make extraordinary decisions. Multiple stakeholders and the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) are involved in the decision-making process. This is one of the proposals that came up for discussion. But it has not been finalised yet," a source said.

Also, read: Bengaluru Metro's Whitefield line chokes after return-to-office mandates, more trains only next year

BMRCL has been conducting trial runs using a six-coach prototype manufactured by CRRC, between Bommasandra and Bommanahalli stations, since March 2024, and on the entire yellow line since June. It may be recalled that the prototype train was shipped from Shanghai on January 24, and reached Chennai on February 6. From Chennai port, it was transported in four trailer vehicles and arrived at Hebbagodi depot in Bengaluru on February 14.

The Lucknow-based Research, Design, and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of the union railway ministry will be responsible for overseeing the tests, including oscillation and emergency braking distance trials.“The RDSO team has reached Bengaluru and will commence the oscillation trials, which will continue till September-end. It’s an important stage before the commissioning of metro services. We will decide the further course of action, including operational plans, based on the report from RDSO and approval from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety,” an official said.

Also, read: MC Explains: Overcrowded Bengaluru Metro coaches: Fallout of Indo-China conflict

 Reasons for delay

Officials said there are multiple reasons for the delay. "TRSL, which used to manufacture aluminum coaches, is now manufacturing stainless steel coaches for the first time. The train sets are being manufactured by Titagarh under the supervision and quality control of CRRC, which does not want to compromise on quality. There was an issue with the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems in the prototype, which was recently resolved by CRRC and the AC supplier SIDWAL. These factors have contributed to the delay in the manufacturing of rakes for the Yellow Line," the official said.

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

Also, read: Chinese-made driverless train prototype for Electronics City Metro reaches Bengaluru

At Rs 1,578 crore, CRRC's was the lowest bid  for the tender. In comparison, BEML quoted Rs 1,996 crore, Bombardier quoted Rs 1,801 crore, and Alstom Rs 2,052 crore.

The main cause for the delay in coach delivery is attributed to the Indo-China border issue of June 2020. 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, foreign direct investment policies, and trade restrictions with China. Subsequently, CRRC partnered with Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail to manufacture and supply the coaches.

Of the 216 coaches, 126 (equivalent to 21 six-coach trains) will be deployed on the purple and green lines, while the remaining 90  (equivalent to 15 six-coach trains) are designated for the yellow line. Sources said CRRC engineers from China had also faced visa issues when coming to Bengaluru for testing and commissioning the trains. There were also delays in getting the propulsion systems for the trains, which came from Japan.

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