With the inauguration of the Yellow Line, thousands of commuters are flooding the RV Road interchange, prompting Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to introduce barricades on its platforms. This marks the first time an elevated station in Bengaluru has been equipped with such barriers—until now, only the underground Majestic interchange had them.
Every day, long queues form at RV Road station as passengers either head towards Electronics City or transfer to the Green Line. With an interchange load of nearly 30,000–35,000 people daily, crowd regulation has become a pressing challenge for security personnel.
Currently, the Yellow Line operates just three trains at 25-minute intervals. Despite the wait, the connection to the IT corridor has spurred rising patronage, helping Namma Metro surpass the milestone of 10 lakh daily riders. According to BL Yeshwanth Chavan, chief PRO of BMRCL, barricades have been set up to streamline boarding, along with additional staff to handle the rush.
Namma Metro today spans over 95 km with 85 stations. None of these are equipped with platform screen doors, though calls for them have grown following track-fall accidents and suicide attempts. However, the prohibitive cost of installation has kept the project on hold, even though the system carries a dangerous 750V DC power supply.
By mid-September, a fourth train is expected on the Yellow Line. After assembling, safety inspections, and trial runs, it will likely reduce waiting time to 20 minutes, easing commuter movement further.