Yellow Line (Namma Metro)

The Yellow Line of Namma Metro is almost complete and will form part of the metro rail network for the city of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The 18.82 km (11.69 mi) line connects R.V. Road with Bommasandra, and is fully elevated with 16 stations.^[1] R.V. Road station is the terminal station on the city side where an interchange is being provided with the Green Line. Jayadeva Hospital station will serve as another elevated interchange station with the Pink Line^[2] that is also under construction in Phase 2 of Namma Metro's expansion. Upon its opening, the Jayadeva Station will be the tallest and largest metro station in Bengaluru, with five levels of transport, including the metro lines. Central Silk Board station will be another interchange station between the Yellow Line and Blue Line. The other end of the Yellow Line will terminate at Bommasandra.^[3] The line was scheduled to open in June 2023, but due to construction delays the new date was estimated to be July 2024.^[4][5] As per the latest reports, the Yellow Line is slated to be operational between 2nd and 4th week of January 2025.^[6][7] This postponement has been attributed to a delay in the delivery of coaches from China.^[8]

Yellow Line
The newly revealed trainset for this metro line under Namma Metro which was launched under CRRC Nanjing Puzhen
Overview
Status	Final Stages before Operations
Owner	Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)
Locale	Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Termini	Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road Bommasandra
Connecting lines	Operational (1): Green Line Upcoming (2): Pink Line Blue Line
Stations	16
Website	bmrc.co.in
Service
Type	Metro
System	Namma Metro
Depot(s)	Hebbagodi
History
Planned opening	20 January 2025; 59 days' time (20 January 2025) (TBC)
Technical
Line length	18.82 km (11.69 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Character	Elevated
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail
Yellow Line map (TBC) Legend Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road Green Line Ragigudda Jayadeva Hospital Pink Line Under construction BTM Layout Central Silk Board Blue Line Under construction Bommanahalli Hongasandra Kudlu Gate Singasandra Hosa Road Beratena Agrahara Konappana Agrahara Electronic City Huskur Road Hebbagodi Hebbagodi Depot (U/C) Bommasandra Planned Narayana Hospital Chandapura Attibele Industrial Area Attibele Karnataka Tamil Nadu border Zuzuvadi Hosur SIPCOT park 1 Hosur bus terminal Hosur SIPCOT park 2

It is reported that the CMRS for this upcoming line under Namma Metro is scheduled to conduct a full and thorough safely inspection by the end of October 2024.^{[9][10][11][12]}

History

In the late 2000s and early 2010s there was growing traffic in the Outer Ring Road in Bangalore and a lack of connection from northern suburbs of Bangalore to the southeastern industrial zones. In 2009, BMRCL planned to build a line in the southern end of the city to connect it to the industrial areas of Bommasandra and Electronic City. In 2012 BMRCL submitted the Phase 2 of Namma Metro which included a 72.095km metro expansion of the existing metro lines and the construction of two new lines from Bannerghatta Road to Nagawara and from RV Road to Bommasandra.^[13] This was later named the Yellow Line, and BMRCL explored the option of developing it as a public-partnership project, but these plans were later abandoned.^[14] The project received approval from the Central Government in January 2014.^[15]

Funding

For Phase 2 of the Namma Metro, the Central and State Governments will fund around ₹15,000 crore. The State and Central Governments will bear 30% and 20% of the project cost respectively. The remaining will be obtained through senior term loans. BMRCL is permitted to raise up to ₹9,000 crore through loans.

Indian firms Biocon and Infosys announced that they would fund construction of the Biocon Hebbagodi and Infosys metro stations respectively on the Yellow Line. Each firm will contribute ₹100 crore (US$12 million) towards the project. Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw stated that the company wanted to fund the project because it would help de-congest the city. Both Biocon and Infosys have offices located near the stations.^[16]

Planning

On June 14, 2016 PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the line, with BMRCL releasing the first tender for the line from Bommasandra to Hosa Road on 9 December 2016. BMRCL floated civil work tenders in three packages. The work involves the construction of a viaduct with five stations, and includes the construction of the depot entry line leading to Hebbagodi Depot.^[17] Tenders for the 6.385 km (3.967 mi) stretch from Hosa Road to Bommanahalli (previously HSR Layout) were floated the next day.^[18] Both packages were awarded to Thai-based ITD Cementation India in May 2017 for ₹511.35 and 485.52 crores (US$140 mil in total).^[19] Civil works began in November 2017. The third tender for construction of the 6.34 km (3.94 mi) elevated section and five stations was awarded to a joint venture between Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) and URC Construction Pvt Ltd. on 3 July 2017 for ₹797.29 crore (US$96 million). BMRCL began the land acquisition process in early 2017 and civil works started in November 2017.

BMRCL awarded the construction of the Hebbagodi Depot to Parnika Commercial & Estates in July 2019 while simultaneously preparing the tender for rolling stock. BMRCL received bids from CRRC, Bombardier, Alstom India, and BEML. The tenders were a huge surprise; CRRC's total bid cost was ₹100 crores less than BMRCL estimates and over ₹175 crores cheaper than the next lowest bid. The firm placed a bid of ₹7.31 crores per coach, compared to BEML ₹9.28 crores per coach.^[20] However, later with escalating tensions between India and China, BEML offered a to re-negotiate a new price with BMRCL if the firm was willing to as India was considering minimizing its business ties with China. However. this never materialized.^[21]

Bidding

Yellow Line
Tendering	Section	Length	Successful bid/cost	Contractor	Award
Reach 5 Pkg-1	Bommasandra-Hosa Road	6.418 km (3.988 mi)	₹485.52 crore (US$58 million)	ITD-ITD Cem JV	25 Mar 2017
Reach 5 Pkg-2	Hosa Road-Bommanahalli	6.385 km (3.967 mi)	₹511.35 crore (US$61 million)	ITD-ITD Cem JV	25 Apr 2017
Reach 5 Pkg-3	Bommanahalli-RV Road	6.340 km (3.939 mi)	₹797.29 crore (US$96 million)	HCC-URC JV	16 May 2017
Hebbagodi Depot			₹170.00 crore (US$20 million)	Parnika Commercial & Estates	28 July 2019
CBTC signalling			₹247.71 crore (US$30 million)	Siemens	02 Dec 2019
Rolling stock			₹657.90 crore (US$79 million)	CRRC	20 Feb 2020
Total		19.143 km (11.895 mi)	₹2,869.77 crore (US$340 million)

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

BMRC plans to operate driverless trains on the Yellow Line with a communications-based train control (CBTC) signaling system.^[22] On 2 December 2019, BMRC awarded a contract for supplying 90 coaches (15 rakes) to CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co. Ltd with CBTC signaling for the Yellow Line.^[23] CRRC had entered into a partnership with Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) to meet the condition that at least 75% of the coaches be made in India. As a result, only one prototype train set will be manufactured in China. The prototype has been shipped from China to Bengaluru at the Hebbagodi Depot, which arrived on February 14, 2024.^{[24][25][26][27]} With the arrival of the trainset, this will undergo rigorous and static testing within the depot, inclusive of the tracks present at the depot. It is slated to start operations around December 2024, subject to the arrival of the trainsets.^[28][29]

The contract for the construction of the Hebbagodi Depot was awarded to Parnika Commercial & Estates(P) Ltd in July 2019.^[30]

Delays

The line was initially scheduled to open in December 2022. However, due to construction delays, the opening was pushed to June 2023, then to April 2024. The civil work for the line finished in March 2024 and BMRCL announced for the line to be opened in July 2024, but the opening was pushed again to November 2024 and then to December 2024, due to a delay in the delivery of rolling stock. Later TRSL reported that the first train set delivery had been pushed to November-December, causing a December opening to be unlikely. Later it was reported that BMRCL began operating a "Plan B" which would involve the opening of the line in December with only seven stations opening with a 30-minute frequency, which would be reduced later with the opening of the remaining nine stations.^{[31][32][33][34][35]}

Stations

The line will have a total of 16 stations. All are fully elevated, while four stations (Ragigudda, Jayadeva Hospital, BTM Layout, and Central Silk Board) are built along with the new Ragigudda-Silk Board flyover as a rail-cum-road flyover. The lines depot is located near the Hebbagodi station. In 2018, the Infosys Foundation and BMRCL signed an Memorandum of Understanding for the construction and maintenance of the Konappana Agrahara metro station. Infosys Foundation will provide 115 crores for the construction of the station while 3000 square feet of the station land was allocated to the foundation for its own use and a direct construction of a foot over bridge from the metro to the Infosys Campus was approved. In 2019 the government approved renaming the station to "Infosys Foundation Konappana Agrahara" for a period of 30 years.

Interchanges

Passenger interchange facilities, connecting to other metro and railway lines, will be provided at the following stations:

• Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road (connects to the Green Line, which runs between Nagasandra and Silk Institute)
• Jayadeva Hospital (connects to the Pink Line, which runs between Nagawara and Kalena Agragara)
• Central Silk Board (connects to the Blue Line, which runs between Central Silk Board and KIAL Terminals)

List of stations

Yellow Line
#	Station name		Opening	Connections	Station layout	Platform level type
	English	Kannada
1	Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road	ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ರಸ್ತೆ	January 2025	Green Line	Elevated	Side
2	Ragigudda	ರಾಗಿಗುಡ್ಡ	January 2025	Raggigudda-Silk Board Flyover	Elevated	Side
3	Jayadeva Hospital	ಜಯದೇವ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ	January 2025	Pink Line (under construction)	Elevated	Side
4	BTM Layout	ಬಿ ಟಿ ಎಂ ಬಡಾವಣೆ	January 2025	Raggigudda-Silk Board Flyover	Elevated	Side
5	Central Silk Board	ಕೇಂದ್ರ ರೇಷ್ಮೆ ಮಂಡಳಿ	January 2025	Blue Line (under construction)	Elevated	Side
6	Bommanahalli (Roopena Agrahara)	ಬೊಮ್ಮನಹಳ್ಳಿ (ರೂಪೇನ ಅಗ್ರಹಾರ)	January 2025		Elevated	Side
7	Hongasandra (Garvebhavi Palya)	ಹೊಂಗಸಂದ್ರ (ಗಾರ್ವೇಬಾವಿ ಪಾಳ್ಯ)	January 2025		Elevated	Side
8	Kudlu Gate	ಕೂಡ್ಲು ಗೇಟ್	January 2025		Elevated	Side
9	Singasandra	ಸಿಂಗಸಂದ್ರ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
10	Hosa Road	ಹೊಸ ರಸ್ತೆ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
11	Beratena Agrahara	ಬೆರಟೇನ ಅಗ್ರಹಾರ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
12	Electronic City	ಎಲೆಕ್ಟ್ರಾನಿಕ್ ಸಿಟಿ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
13	Konappana Agrahara	ಕೋನಪ್ಪನ ಅಗ್ರಹಾರ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
14	Huskur Road	ಹುಸ್ಕೂರು ರಸ್ತೆ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
15	Hebbagodi	ಬಯೋಕಾನ್ ಹೆಬ್ಬಗೋಡಿ	January 2025		Elevated	Side
16	Bommasandra	ಬೊಮ್ಮಸಂದ್ರ	January 2025		Elevated	Side

See also

• Namma Metro
  • Purple Line
  • Green Line
  • Pink Line
  • Blue Line
  • Orange Line
  • Red Line
  • List of Namma Metro stations
• Rapid transit in India
• List of metro systems
• Raggigudda-Silk Board Flyover

References

1. bmrc.co.in/pdf/phase2/phase2forweb.pdf
2. "Know the location of new Red Line metro stations". The Hindu. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
3. "Karnataka approves plan to extend metro rail from Bommasandra to Hosur". The New Indian Express. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
4. "RV Road-Bommasandra Metro stretch to open by April: CM Siddaramaiah". The New Indian Express. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
5. "Metro Yellow Line to E-City & extended Green Line to open by April 2024: CM Siddramaiah". The Times of India. 21 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
6. "Bengaluru: Yellow Line safety clearance by December end, opening after second week of January". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
7. "Bengaluru Metro's Yellow Line to Open in November 2024, Tejasvi Surya Shares Key Details". TimesNow. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
8. "Bengaluru's Namma Metro Yellow Line Launch Postponed To July: Delay In Coach Delivery From China Blamed".
9. DHNS. "Oscillation trials begin for metro's Yellow Line". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
10. "Namma Metro Yellow Line Gears Up For Launch In December, CMRS Testing Soon". oneindia. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
11. vinaykumar.patil. "Bengaluru: Namma Metro's Yellow line to undergo CMRS testing by October end". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
12. Reporter, Staff (13 May 2024). "Bangalore Metro: Yellow Line Prepares For CMRS Inspection - Metro Rail News". Retrieved 13 May 2024.
13. "Why was project cost of Bengaluru Metro Phase-2 increased by 52% to nearly Rs 40,000 crore?". Financialexpress. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
14. "BMRCL decides against partial PPP for Namma Metro Phase 2". The Hindu. 31 January 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
15. "Union Cabinet approves Phase 2 of Namma Metro". The Hindu. 30 January 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
16. "Biocon, Infy to Adopt Two Metro Stations – ETtech". ETtech.com. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
17. "Metro floats tenders for Electronics City route". The New Indian Express. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
18. Staff Reporter (10 December 2016). "Electronics City inches closer to being on metro map". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
19. Menezes, Naveen (10 May 2017). "Thai company ITD will build stations on e-city line in Bengaluru". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
20. Siddiqui, Muthi-ur-Rahman. "First driverless, Chinese train for Namma Metro arrives in Bengaluru". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
21. Naveen Menezes (3 July 2020). "BEML ready to cut Bangalore Metro tender cost". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
22. Shah, Narendra (13 April 2019). "First Driverless trains likely to run on the Namma Metro's Yellow line by 2021". Metro Rail News. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
23. "BMRCL Tenders". tenderb.bmrc.co.in. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
24. "Coaches of driverless metro train to reach Bengaluru from Chennai soon". The Hindu. 12 February 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
25. "First driverless train from China on its way". The New Indian Express. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
26. Vivan, Sridhar (4 November 2023). "Chinese rakes for Namma Metro soon". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
27. "BMRCL officials visit China to inspect Bengaluru metro Yellow Line coaches". The Hindu. 31 October 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
28. B.P., Darshan Devaiah (14 February 2024). "Finally, driverless coaches for Yellow Line of Namma Metro arrive in Bengaluru". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
29. Siddiqui, Muthi-ur-Rahman. "Namma Metro's Yellow Line to open with 5-6 trains, 20-min frequency". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
30. "Delhi-based firm gets Namma Metro's Hebbagodi depot contract | Bengaluru News". Times of India. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
31. "Yellow Line may not start in July due to lack of trains". The Hindu. 8 March 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
32. DHNS. "Bengaluru's Yellow Line will open in December with 8 trains and 15-min frequency, says BMRCL". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
33. "Metro Yellow Line to E-City & extended Green Line to open by April 2024: CM Siddramaiah". The Times of India. 21 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
34. "Bengaluru Metro's Yellow Line to Open in November 2024, Tejasvi Surya Shares Key Details". Times Now. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
35. Philip, Christin Mathew (6 September 2024). "Major stations first: Bengaluru Metro scrambles with plan B for Electronics City line due to train crunch". moneycontrol.com.