BMRCL introduces early morning Monday services on Yellow Line

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) announced that two early morning services will be launched on the Yellow Line every Monday, following a protest by passengers at RV Road Metro Station on November 17.

The new services will operate at 5.05am and 5.35am from both RV Road and Bommasandra. On all other weekdays, services will start at 6 am, and on Sundays, the first train will depart at 7 am.

Senior BMRCL officials said the decision was taken primarily to facilitate crowd management, especially on Monday mornings when many passengers return to the city from their hometowns.

“Many people arrive at Majestic and other parts of the city early on Mondays. Since trains started earlier on all other lines and not on the Yellow Line, these passengers could not continue their journey by metro. With the introduction of early morning service on the Yellow Line, these passengers can now use the metro early as well,” an official said.

Convenience to passengers

For most regular travelers, the revised schedule provides significant relief. Ravi Kishan, a suburban resident from Bommanahalli, welcomed the move. “I usually go to my hometown Hosapete on weekends and return early on Monday morning, around 4.30am. When I reach Majestic, I take the Green Line to go to RV Road but I cannot take any train there as operations start only at 6am. Now BMRCL starts service at 5.05am, I think this will help all the passengers like me who return early from our hometowns,” he said.

Kudlu Kapı resident Pavana K. said that the revised timing was useful but insufficient. He urged BMRCL to increase train frequency and extend early morning operations to all days of the week. “It is very beneficial to start subway services on the Yellow Line early, but their frequency needs to be increased. They should consider starting the train early every day so that more people can benefit from it. After the recent protests, this seems like window dressing,” he said.

The protest on November 17 caused disruptions during peak travel hours. BMRCL officials had said that some of the passengers arriving via the Green Line, which started operating at 5 am, staged a protest on RV Road after learning that the Yellow Line services would start only at 6 am. Frustrated passengers reportedly blocked the train’s doors, preventing the initial departure and causing a 35-minute delay.

The police were called to intervene in the situation and services resumed after the police intervened.

Sixth train set in December

The 19.15km Caravan Road line to Bommasandra currently operates with trains running every 15 minutes during peak hours. A spare train is kept ready as an emergency measure.

The Yellow Line, a key corridor connecting South Bengaluru and Electronics City with the rest of the Namma Metro network, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10 and opened to the public the next day. Despite its importance, the line suffers from overcrowding due to the limited number of trains.

Only three trainsets were deployed at launch, resulting in more than 25 minutes of delay and significant crowding. BMRCL introduced a fourth set of trains on September 10, reducing the frequency slightly to 19 minutes. On November 1, the company put the fifth train into service, relieving the passengers.

According to officials, more developments are expected soon. Namma Metro will inaugurate its sixth train set in December, with Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) sending the buses by the end of November. Adding more trains is expected to shorten wait times and ease congestion, especially during morning and evening rush hours.