RV Road To Bommasandra Yellow Line Metro Trains To Run Every 15 Mins; Inauguration Date Pushed Further

The Yellow Line Metro Project connecting RV Road with Bommasandra will run every 15 minutes upon inauguration. However, the inauguration date has been further pushed.

In the state budget, it was revealed that the project will be launched in July, but the authorities have now said that the 19.15-kilometre Yellow LIne is likely to be operational only by December 2024. It will link RV Road with Bommasandra through key points such as Jayadeva Hospital, Silk Board Junction, and Electronics City.

Jitendra Jha, BMRCL's Project Manager for Rolling Stock told reporters on Wednesday that the six-coach train, the first of 15 trains slated for deployment on the Yellow Line, must undergo a series of rigorous tests. Although the train has been assembled and relocated to the test track for static and electrical circuit evaluations, it will undergo 37 tests within the next four months.

Following these initial tests, there will be a 45-day period dedicated to integrating the signalling, telecommunications, and power supply systems. Jha mentioned that ninety per cent of these tests would involve the prototype train. He expressed optimism regarding the arrival of another train from China by June, accompanied by two additional trains assembled by the TRSL. With three trains available, the BMRCL will be able to conduct the necessary statutory anti-collision tests.

The authorities have planned to conduct signalling tests today and tomorrow. The trial runs will operate between Bommasandra and Silk Board Junction, with plans to extend across the entire line by mid-April.

According to him, the BMRCL required at least seven trains and obtaining regulatory approvals from entities including the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), and the Railway Board before launching commercial operations.

Also, the trains on this route will operate every 15 minutes and the achieving a shorter headway of five minutes or less will only be possible with the arrival of eight additional trains next year. While civil construction and track-laying on the Yellow Line have been completed for some time, the absence of adequate trains has resulted in a delay in commencing commercial services.

The Yellow Line was earlier planned to be launched in February-March 2023.