Bengaluru: Why People Might Need To Wait Longer For Namma Metro Access To Electronic City?

The inauguration of the much-awaited Bengaluru Yellow Line Metro is anticipated to be delayed due to uncertainty in the arrival of train sets.

According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the 19-kilometre Yellow Line construction is practically complete, with 98-99 per cent of civil works finished. However, concerns have been voiced about a probable delay in commercial operations, which is dependent on the timely provision of rolling stock.

The Yellow Line is part of Phase 2 of the Bengaluru Metro project and will connect R V Road in the south of the city to Bommasandra, a fast-growing suburb on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The new metro line passes via Jayadeva, Central Silk Board and Electronics City. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has set a December 2023 deadline for the route.

For BMRCL to begin operations on the Yellow Line, China's CRRC and Titagarh Rail Systems must furnish a minimum of 8-10 trains.

Testing and trial runs are expected to take a long period after the train sets are received. The Union Railway Ministry's Lucknow-based Research, Design, and Standards Organisation (RDSO) will be in charge of overseeing testing such as oscillation and emergency braking distance trials.

"Spare trains should also be available for maintenance purposes, as the BMRCL cannot deploy all trains for commercial operations," an expert said.

"Due to potential delays in the supply of rolling stock and subsequent procedures, commercial operations of the Yellow Line could be pushed back to the first quarter of next year," he explained.

According to Titagarh Rail Systems MD and CEO Umesh Chowdhary, the first two six-car prototype metro trains for Bengaluru's Electronics City Metro track are expected to arrive from China by September 2023.

"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, reports Moneycontrol.

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

Why Delay in Rolling Stock For The Corridor?

In December 2019, a 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 per cent 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.

Following this, in April 2022, BMRCL floated a tender to supply 72 coaches as a contingency measure after the original contract awarded to a Chinese firm ran into rough weather.

In July 2022, BMRCL announced that it had accepted CRRC’s request to manufacture a total of 216 metro train coaches in partnership with Titagarh Wagons in Kolkata. 

As a result, the CRRC worked with Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail to produce and deliver the coaches.

According to Chowdhary, the deal with CRRC is not a collaboration; rather, Titagarh Rail is a supplier to 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," said Chowdhary.

The Purple and Green lines will get 126 coaches (equivalent to 21 six-coach trains), while the Yellow Line will get the remaining 90 coaches (equal to 15 six-coach trains).

The Yellow Line

Beginning at the RV Road station on the Green Line, this new Yellow Line will link with the upcoming Pink Line (Gottigere-Nagawara) at Jayadeva Hospital and the Blue Line at Central Silk Board Station before ending at Bommasandra.

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.

The entire Yellow Line was supposed to be operational by 2021, but that date was pushed back to December 2022, then to June 2023, and now to December 2023.

Residents of Jayanagar, BTM Layout, and HSR Layout, as well as employees of Electronics City and Bommasandra Industrial Area, will benefit immensely from the Yellow Line.

Infosys has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the Konappana Agrahara station, while Biocon Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the Hebbagodi station.