Namma Metro Yellow Line Kick Off on August 15? CMRS Inspection to Decide

The long-awaited RV Road-Bommasandra Yellow Line has taken a significant step forward with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) receiving the crucial Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) report. This development now clears the path for a mandatory Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) inspection.

According to officials, CMRS (Southern Circle) A M Chowdhary will inspect the Yellow Line between July 22 and 24, with a follow-up visit to the Operations Control Centre (OCC) at the Baiyappanahalli depot scheduled for July 25.

The ISA report, a key safety requirement for launching operations, was issued on Thursday by an Italian state-run agency in collaboration with Siemens India Ltd-Siemens AG, the signalling contractor for the Yellow Line.

The report was delayed due to technical glitches found during a review of key datasets, which required urgent software updates. Without the ISA certification, BMRCL was unable to move forward with the CMRS inspection process.

The ISA evaluated critical safety parameters of the driverless metro trains planned for the Yellow Line. CMRS inspections usually result in a conditional clearance, which requires the BMRCL to make necessary adjustments before seeking final approvals from the state and central governments.

The BMRCL has proposed an initial operation with three trains at a 25-minute frequency.

Earlier, Former BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao had announced the goal to open the Yellow Line by August 15.

Meanwhile, Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) is set to begin delivering two new trains per month from September, with all 15 trains expected by March 2026.

Stretching 19.15 km from RV Road to Bommasandra, the Yellow Line will finally connect Electronics City and other parts of southern Bengaluru to the metro network. It is also expected to ease congestion at the Silk Board Junction, one of the city's most notorious traffic choke points.