Bengaluru, India
Bengaluru’s long wait for the Yellow Line of Namma Metro ended on Sunday, with the inauguration of the 19.15-km corridor connecting R.V. Road to Bommasandra. The new line expands the city’s metro network to 96 km, making it the second-largest in India after Delhi Metro’s 353.3 km.
The Yellow Line connects the city’s IT hub in Electronics City and is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion at key choke points, including the Silk Board junction. The project, first proposed in 2011 and slated for completion in December 2021, faced multiple delays due to prolonged land acquisition, COVID-19 disruptions, and late delivery of trains from Chinese manufacturer CRRC Nanjing.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) estimates the Yellow Line will carry more than 2.5 lakh passengers daily once the full train fleet is operational. The line integrates with other major routes at R.V. Road (Green Line), Jayadeva Hospital (Pink Line), and Central Silk Board (Blue Line, Phases 2A & 2B). Revenue services will begin Monday, with a maximum fare of ₹60.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the line after flagging off three Vande Bharat Express services — Bengaluru–Belagavi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Amritsar, and Nagpur (Ajni)–Pune — from Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station. With the new Bengaluru–Belagavi service, Karnataka now operates 11 Vande Bharat trains.
The Yellow Line’s inaugural ride was piloted by a woman loco pilot, with schoolchildren, metro officials, and members of the public joining the journey.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Namma Metro’s Phase 3, or the Orange Line, scheduled for completion in 2029. Once operational, Phase 3 is projected to handle 7.85 lakh commuters daily and extend Bengaluru’s metro network to 222.2 km.
