Bengaluru’s Yellow Line Metro, launched just months ago with high expectations, is once again under fire from daily commuters who say late starts, long gaps between trains and a persistent shortage of trainsets are making the new corridor increasingly unreliable.
While the Purple and Green Lines begin operations at 5 am, the Yellow Line—connecting RV Road, Central Silk Board, HSR Layout, Electronic City, and Bommasandra—starts only at 6 am. This one-hour delay has become a recurring source of frustration for early-morning travellers, especially those transferring from the Green Line and forced to wait at interchange stations.
Bengaluru's Yellow Line Metro Faces Commuter Fury
The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has acknowledged the strain and said that all five available Yellow Line trainsets are already in use during peak hours. The start time was recently advanced from 6:30 am to 6 am, and peak-hour frequency improved from 19 minutes to 15 minutes after the fifth trainset was added on November 1. Officials maintain that service will improve once more trainsets are delivered.
The shortage stems largely from the line’s advanced design. Envisioned as India’s first driverless metro corridor, the Yellow Line requires complex systems integration and platform screen doors across its stations—features that have slowed manufacturing and rollout. The first trainset was built in China, while the remaining units are being produced by Titagarh Rail Systems in Kolkata. Production delays and staggered dispatch schedules have deepened operational challenges.
There are signs of progress: the sixth trainset has already been dispatched from Titagarh, another is expected by December 10, and a third by the end of the month.
Adding to the strain, BMRCL confirmed that a commuter blockade disrupted services recently. A police complaint has been filed, with the corporation cautioning that such actions are punishable under the Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002.