Bengaluru’s Namma Metro crossed the one-million daily ridership milestone for the first time on Monday, powered by the launch of the much-awaited Yellow Line.
A total of 10,48,031 passenger trips were recorded across the network, surpassing the earlier peak of 9,66,732 achieved during RCB’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4. The newly inaugurated 19.15-km Yellow Line links RV Road with Bommasandra, passing through Electronics City—one of the city’s most congested corridors.
Even though Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is currently running just three trains every 25 minutes on the Yellow Line, eager commuters queued up to experience the connectivity boost. For many tech professionals, the line offers a welcome escape from the notorious Central Silk Board junction.
BMRCL Chief PRO B L Yashavanth Chavan said ridership spikes are typical during the early days of a new line. “We’ll monitor passenger patterns over the coming weeks for a realistic figure,” he noted. A senior official added that initial daily ridership on the Yellow Line is expected to average 25,000–30,000 until frequency improves.
The BMRCL plans to introduce a fourth train next month, reducing wait times to 20 minutes. Currently, Bengaluru’s metro spans 96.1 km, making it India’s second-longest network after Delhi.
Ridership Breakdown (Aug 11): Purple Line – 4,51,816; Green Line – 2,91,677; Yellow Line – 52,215; Interchanges – 2,52,323. Ticket sales included 5,03,837 smart cards, 3,03,165 tokens, 2,08,382 QR codes, 32,198 NCMC cards, and 450 group tickets.