Bengaluru – Commuters on Namma Metro’s Yellow Line can finally expect some respite during peak hours, as the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) introduced a fourth rake on the route from Wednesday. The move has reduced train frequency to 19 minutes from the earlier 25 minutes, aiming to ease crowding on the Electronics City–R V Road stretch.

Crowded coaches see some relief

Operations on the Yellow Line began on August 11 with only three rakes. Since then, daily ridership has crossed 60,000, causing severe congestion, especially at R V Road interchange. Security staff often struggled to regulate crowds, using barricades on platforms to prevent accidents.

The addition of the fourth train set is expected to significantly reduce chaos, particularly during morning and evening rush hours. A senior BMRCL official said, “The fourth train set will ease crowding, especially at R V Road station. However, a 19-minute interval is still quite long. So, we’re working to bring in more trains soon.”

Timings revised for weekdays

With the induction of the fourth rake, BMRCL will also start weekday operations earlier. Services will now begin at 6 am instead of 6:30 am, providing greater convenience for office-goers. On Sundays, however, timings remain unchanged, with operations beginning at 7 am.

The last train will continue to leave R V Road at 11:55 pm and Bommasandra at 10:42 pm. Officials confirmed that mandatory trial runs covering 750 km of mainline operations were conducted earlier this week to meet safety and service induction requirements.

Supply challenges impact expansion

While the addition of the fourth rake is a relief, the Yellow Line still falls short of its ideal capacity. BMRCL has said that at least eight train sets are required to achieve a 10-minute frequency.

A fifth train set is expected from Titagarh Rail Systems in West Bengal by mid-September. However, further expansion is being hampered by delays in bogie supplies from China. The bogies for the sixth train set are scheduled to leave China on September 14, with an expected arrival in Kolkata after three weeks.

Officials indicated that the delay will push back the delivery of the sixth train by at least three weeks and impact production of the seventh set as well. Despite demands for airlifting the bogies, logistical constraints have made it unfeasible.

Commuters hopeful for smoother rides

Passengers, particularly those travelling between Electronics City and central Bengaluru, have welcomed the development. With more rakes expected in the coming months, BMRCL hopes to steadily cut waiting times and enhance passenger safety.

For now, though, the relief is partial. Even with a fourth train set in operation, commuters must still contend with long intervals during rush hour until additional rakes are inducted.