After a long wait, finally the first India-assembled driverless train for Namma Metro’s Yellow Line has arrived in Bengaluru.
First Made In India Train For Yellow Line
Earlier, during late January, a six-coach trainset, dispatched on trailers by rolling stock manufacturer Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) reached the Hebbagodi depot from the southeastern Bengaluru on Sunday.
Presently, coaches are being coupled to form a full rake, getting ready to undergo static and signalling tests.
It appears that the rakes are being prepared to conduct multiple train (anti-collision) tests with the prototype Chinese-made train.
These train tests will start in the first week of March, said the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).
As per these test results, the BMRCL will invite the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) for statutory inspection of the 19.15-km Yellow Line, which will connect RV Road with Bommasandra.
It is expected that BMRCL will get a third train for the Yellow Line which is going to be the second which is made in India can be expected by the end of March.
Besides this, TRSL is planning to deliver another train , yes a fourth overall for the Yellow Line — by April.
Ramping Up The Production, More To Look Foreword To
They are actually planning to ramp up the production to deliver two trains per month by September.
The presently delivered train, which reached Bengaluru on Sunday, was rolled out by TRSL at its plant in Uttarpara, West Bengal, on January 6.
It appears that the company took several more weeks to dispatch the train to Bengaluru.
The trainset had to undergo some final tests before being dispatched, said a senior BMRCL official who is known to this matter.
If we talk about TRSL, it is manufacturing 34 of the 36 trains under a Rs 1,578-crore contract awarded to China’s CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd in 2019.
15 trains out of these are for the Yellow Line, while the rest for the Purple and Green lines.
While that being said, the prototype train for the Yellow Line, imported from China, arrived in Bengaluru in February 2024 is undergoing trial runs.
In addition to this, CRRC has delivered the prototype train for the Purple and Green lines.
Now, BMRCL is hoping to open the long-delayed Yellow Line with four trains by April with a headway of 20-25 minutes.
With this Implementation, they are aiming to serve 6,000 to 15,000 passengers per peak hour, further hoping that four trains can serve 8,000-10,000 passengers per hour.
