Metro services on the Yellow Line were disrupted for more than 30 minutes on Monday morning after a group of passengers halted a train at RV Road station, demanding that Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) begin operations at 5am on the newly launched corridor. The incident, which occurred around 6am, triggered cascading delays across the line and prompted BMRCL to file a police complaint.
Commuters block departing train amid service timing anger
According to officials, the disruption unfolded when 10–15 passengers allegedly stood between the doors of a Yellow Line train, preventing them from closing. Train ID02 had arrived at the platform at 5.55am, where early-morning commuters — including office-goers and airport-bound travellers — were already waiting.
Passengers reportedly confronted Metro staff, questioning the delayed start of operations. Despite repeated explanations that Yellow Line services currently commence at 6am due to limited trainset availability, the passengers blocked the doors every time the loco pilot tried to proceed.
As a result, the train remained stalled for nearly 35 minutes, creating a domino effect that delayed subsequent services and inconvenienced hundreds of commuters during peak morning hours.
Mismatch in service timings triggers frustration
While trains on the Purple and Green Lines begin operations around 4.30am on Mondays, the Yellow Line — connecting RV Road and Bommasandra — starts its first service at 6am. This mismatch appears to have fuelled the frustration among early travellers.
A senior BMRCL official said that the corporation is operating the Yellow Line with all available trainsets and currently does not have spare rakes to start services earlier. “Passengers disrupted operations, causing delays across multiple trains. We had to call police to resolve the situation,” the official said.
BMRCL files FIR against unidentified passengers
Based on a complaint by BMRCL, the Wilson Garden police registered an FIR against unidentified commuters for obstructing Metro operations. Obstruction of services is a punishable offence under the Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, carrying penalties including imprisonment, fines, or both.
In its official statement, BMRCL said, “Such actions compromise safety and inconvenience thousands of passengers. Metro operations must not be hindered under any circumstances.”
To restore normalcy after the disruption, the corporation operated a short-loop service up to Silk Board.
Recent improvements and plans for enhanced frequency
BMRCL highlighted that significant improvements have already been made to Yellow Line operations since 1 November. After inducting a fifth trainset, the first service timing was advanced from 6.30am to 6am, and peak-hour headway was reduced from 19 minutes to 15 minutes.
The corporation added that more enhancements are expected once additional trains are introduced into service, which would eventually enable earlier operation start times and improved frequency.
Conclusion
Monday’s incident marks one of the first major commuter-led disruptions on the Yellow Line since its opening and highlights growing demand for expanded early-morning services. While BMRCL has indicated that improvements are forthcoming, the episode underlined the need for both operational upgrades and responsible passenger behaviour to ensure smooth functioning of Bengaluru’s busy Metro network.