Titagarh to ramp up delivery of driverless trains for Bengaluru Metro’s Yellow Line

The much-delayed Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro, stretching 18 km between RV Road and Bommasandra via Electronic City, is set to receive a steady supply of driverless trains starting August. Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), the domestic partner in the manufacturing process, reportedly confirmed plans to deliver two train sets per month from August, after dispatching its fourth train in July.

Also read: Bengaluru’s Yellow Line to get fresh batch of metro coaches from Titagarh

The Yellow Line was originally slated for commissioning in 2021 but has faced prolonged setbacks due to issues in rolling-stock supply. The contract to supply 216 coaches was awarded in 2019 to a consortium of Chinese firm CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd and TRSL under the Make-in-India initiative. However, disruptions such as visa hurdles for Chinese engineers following the Galwan clash, pandemic-related supply chain issues, and a steep learning curve in adopting new manufacturing technologies contributed to significant delays.

TRSL has since addressed these bottlenecks and scaled up production at its Uttarpara facility, aided by a strong technical collaboration with CRRC. A capital investment exceeding ₹1,000 crore was allocated to upgrade infrastructure, introduce robotic assembly lines, and train Indian engineers in stainless-steel coach manufacturing.

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is considering limited operations with three available trains, with full-scale services across all 16 stations likely between August and September, subject to timely deliveries and final safety clearances.