Yellow Line (Namma Metro)

Yellow Line
This trainset on standby at Jayadeva Hospital metro station and heading towards Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road metro station
Overview
Other name(s)Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road - Bommasandra Line
Native nameಹಳದಿ ಮಾರ್ಗ (Haḷadi mārga)
StatusOperational
OwnerBangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)
LocaleBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Termini
Connecting linesOperational (1):
Green Line
Upcoming (2):
Pink Line Blue Line
Stations16
Websitebmrc.co.in
Service
TypeMetro
SystemNamma Metro
Depot(s)Hebbagodi
Rolling stockCRRC Nanjing Puzhen
History
Opened10 August 2025 (10 August 2025)
Technical
Line length19.15 km (11.90 mi)
Number of tracks2
CharacterElevated
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
SignallingCBTC Signalling System
Yellow Line map

Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road
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
Electronic City
Infosys Foundation Konappana Agrahara
Huskur Road
Biocon Hebbagodi
Mainline rail interchange Hebbagodi Depot
Delta Electronics Bommasandra

The Yellow Line is a line on the Namma Metro rail system. As of 2025, the line is 18.82 km (11.69 mi) long, connecting Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road with Bommasandra, and is fully elevated with 16 stations.[1] The line interchanges with the Green Line at Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road, and has two upcoming interchanges with the Pink Line at Jayadeva Hospital and the Blue Line at Central Silk Board.

The Yellow Line was officially inaugurated on 10 August 2025 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the line opening for public use on the following day.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The line currently operates with three trainsets at 25-minute headways. Further trainsets are to be introduced by March 2026, when full operations are expected with 15 trainsets.

History

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, traffic began to grow in the Outer Ring Road in Bangalore and there was a lack of connection from the 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 72.095 km (44.798 mi) 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.[11] The lines were later named the Yellow Line and Pink Line, and BMRCL explored the option of developing them as a public-private partnership project, but these plans were later abandoned.[12] The project received approval from the Central Government in January 2014.[13]

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 Konappana Agrahara 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 and facilities located near the stations.[14]

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.[15] Tenders for the 6.385 km (3.967 mi) stretch from Hosa Road to Bommanahalli (previously HSR Layout) were floated the next day.[16] 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).[17] Civil works began in November 2017. The third tender for construction of the 6.34 km (3.939 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$94 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. 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.[18] 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, which never materialized.[19]

Bidding

Pre Construction Activity & Civil Work
Tendering Section Length Successful bid/cost Contractor Award
Reach-5/2016/Demolition/DLN-3RT RV Road to Hongasandra 3.64 crore (US$430,000) B R Chawla Demolition 23 Feb 2016
Reach-5/2015/ Demolition/DLN-4 Hongasandra to Bommasandra 3.82 crore (US$450,000) B R Chawla Demolition 25 Jan 2016
Reach 5/P1/Via & Stn/2016/12 Bommasandra to Hosa Road 6.418 km (3.988 mi) 485.52 crore (US$57 million) ITD-ITD Cem JV 25 Mar 2017
Reach 5/P2/Via & Stn/2016/13 Hosa Road to Bommanahalli 6.385 km (3.967 mi) 511.35 crore (US$60 million) ITD-ITD Cem JV 25 Apr 2017
Reach 5/P3/Via & Stn/2016/18 Bommanahalli to RV Road 6.340 km (3.939 mi) 797.29 crore (US$94 million) HCC-URC JV 16 May 2017
Total 19.143 km (11.895 mi) 1,801.62 crore (US$210 million)
Architectural Finishing Works
Package Section Successful bid/cost Contractor Award
R5(P1&P2)/Arch.Works/STN/2020/64 Bommanahalli to Bommasandra 92.89 crore (US$11 million) Godrej & Boyce 02 Nov 2020
R5(P3)/Arch.Works/STN/2021/80 RV Road to Central Silk Board 67.13 crore (US$7.9 million) MR Constructions 05 Jan 2022
Total 160.02 crore (US$19 million)
Miscellaneous
Package Contract Successful bid/cost Contractor Award
Land Acquisition 1,843 crore (US$220 million) N/A 2017
Phase-2/ICB No. 1RS-C UTO Consultancy 1.94 crore (US$230,000) Systra – Systra MVA 17 Dec 2020
Reach 5/Hebbagodi Depot/2019/43 Hebbagodi Depot 170.00 crore (US$20 million) Parnika Commercial & Estates 28 July 2019
Horti Hebbagodi/RT01/2025/127 Hebbagodi Depot finishing works 0.47 crore (US$56,000) Chaithra Sourabha 3 June 2025
Phase-II/ ICB No. 8 S&T-DM CBTC signalling 247.71 crore (US$29 million) Siemens 02 Dec 2019
Phase-2/ICB No. 4 RS-DM [20] Rolling stock 657.90 crore (US$78 million) CRRC 20 Feb 2020
Phase-II/E&M-3 [20] Electrical and Mechanical 85.78 crore (US$10 million) Jakson – JSC JV 07 Jan 2021
Phase-2/60E1 880 Grade Rails/RT01/2020/68 [20] Track Work 17.98 crore (US$2.1 million) Jindal Steel 12 Jan 2021
Phase II/ICB No. 4 ELEV-DM [20] Elevators 17.83 crore (US$2.1 million) Johnson Lifts 03 Feb 2021
Phase II/ICB No.EP4-CC [20] 750V DC Third Rail electrification 146.88 crore (US$17 million) Linxon India 06 Feb 2021
Phase II/ICB No.7 ESCAL - DM [20] Elevated Station Escalators 85.75 crore (US$10 million) Schindler India 2 June 2021
Reach-5/Median Safety Grills/2023/100 Fabrication and Installation of Median Safety Grills 4.53 crore (US$540,000) Srinivas Construction 28 Feb 2024
O&M/HR/HKS/R5/2023/1 Housekeeping, Services, Supply of Machinery 22.16 crore (US$2.6 million) Civic International Social Service 20 Aug 2024
Phase-2/Reach-5/Road Work/2025/128 Road Works 7.80 crore (US$920,000) ANU Constructions 2 May 2025
Total 3,309.73 crore (US$390 million)
Total line cost 5,271.37 crore (US$620 million)

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

BMRC operates driverless trains on the Yellow Line with a communications-based train control (CBTC) signaling system.[21] 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.[22] CRRC entered into a partnership with Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) to meet the requirement of at least 75% of the coaches to be made in India. As a result, only one prototype train set was manufactured in China. The prototype arrived at the Hebbagodi depot on February 14, 2024.[23][24][25][26] The trainset underwent rigorous and static testing within the depot, inclusive of the tracks present at the depot. The second trainset, the first one assembled in India, arrived at the depot on February 9, 2025.[27][28]

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 planned for the line to be opened in July 2024, but the opening was pushed again to December 2024 due to delays in the delivery of rolling stock. Later, TRSL reported that the first train set delivery had been pushed to late 2024, causing a December opening to be unlikely. Later, it was reported that BMRCL may begin operating a "Plan B" which would involve the opening of the line in December with only seven stations opening with a 30-minute frequency, to be reduced later with the opening of the remaining nine stations. BMRCL continued to move the opening of the line until August 2025.[29][30][31]

BMRCL then announced that it would decide on the opening of the Yellow Line after receiving the CMRS decision. Two options were reportedly under consideration — opening all stations with a lower frequency of trains or starting operations at a fewer number of stations with a slightly higher frequency. Following the CMRS approval in early August 2025, BMRCL chose to open all stations along the corridor, operating trains at a frequency of 25 minutes. Operations on the line have started as of 11 August 2025.[32]

Stations

There are currently 16 stations on the Yellow Line. All stations 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 depot for the line 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 crore (US$14 million) for the construction of the station, while 3000 square feet of the station land was allocated for use by Infosys 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. Similarly, in December 2024, BMRCL and Delta Electronics signed an agreement to provide 55 crore (US$6.5 million) for the construction of the Bommasandra station. As per the agreement the Bommasandra station was renamed to "Delta Electronics Bommasandra" for a period of 30 years.

Interchanges

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

Yellow Line
# Station name Opening [6][9][33] Connections Station type Platform type
English Kannada
1 Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ರಸ್ತೆ 11 August 2025 Green Line Elevated Island & Side
2 Ragigudda ರಾಗಿಗುಡ್ಡ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
3 Jayadeva Hospital ಜಯದೇವ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ 11 August 2025 Pink Line (under construction) Elevated Side
4 BTM Layout ಬಿ ಟಿ ಎಂ ಬಡಾವಣೆ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
5 Central Silk Board ಕೇಂದ್ರ ರೇಷ್ಮೆ ಮಂಡಳಿ 11 August 2025 Blue Line (under construction) Elevated Side
6 Bommanahalli ಬೊಮ್ಮನಹಳ್ಳಿ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
7 Hongasandra ಹೊಂಗಸಂದ್ರ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
8 Kudlu Gate ಕೂಡ್ಲು ಗೇಟ್ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
9 Singasandra ಸಿಂಗಸಂದ್ರ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
10 Hosa Road ಹೊಸ ರಸ್ತೆ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
11 Beratena Agrahara ಬೆರಟೇನ ಅಗ್ರಹಾರ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
12 Electronic City ಎಲೆಕ್ಟ್ರಾನಿಕ್ ಸಿಟಿ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
13 Infosys Foundation Konappana Agrahara ಇನ್ಫೋಸಿಸ್ ಫೌಂಡೇಷನ್ ಕೋನಪ್ಪನ ಅಗ್ರಹಾರ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
14 Huskur Road ಹುಸ್ಕೂರು ರಸ್ತೆ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
15 Biocon Hebbagodi ಬಯೋಕಾನ್ ಹೆಬ್ಬಗೋಡಿ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side
16 Delta Electronics Bommasandra ಡೆಲ್ಟಾ ಎಲೆಕ್ಟ್ರಾನಿಕ್ಸ್ ಬೊಮ್ಮಸಂದ್ರ 11 August 2025 Elevated Side

See also

References

  1. ^ bmrc.co.in/pdf/phase2/phase2forweb.pdf
  2. ^ PTI (10 August 2025). "PM Modi Opens Yellow Line of Bangalore Metro Rail". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Modi in Bengaluru LIVE: PM Modi inaugurates Bengaluru's Yellow Line metro after four-year wait". The Hindu. 10 August 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  4. ^ "PM Modi flags off Bengaluru metro's Yellow Line". The Hindu. 10 August 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  5. ^ ಡೆಸ್ಕ್‌, ಪ್ರಜಾವಾಣಿ ವೆಬ್‌. "'ಹಳದಿ ಮಾರ್ಗ'ಕ್ಕೆ ಚಾಲನೆ: ಅಕ್ಕಪಕ್ಕ ಕುಳಿತು ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಸಿದ ಸಿಎಂ, ಪಿಎಂ, ಡಿಸಿಎಂ". Prajavani (in Kannada). Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b Singharia, Kanishka (10 August 2025). "PM Modi flags off Yellow Line of Bengaluru's Namma Metro". livemint. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  7. ^ Naaz, Fareha (10 August 2025). "PM Modi flags off Namma Metro Yellow line from Bengaluru's Ragigudda, takes first ride to Electronic City | Watch video". livemint. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  8. ^ Mishra, Anupriya (10 August 2025). "As PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Namma Metro Yellow Line, Here's All About This New Route". Curly Tales. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  9. ^ a b "PM Modi to inaugurate Bengaluru metro Yellow Line, launch Phase-3 expansion on August 10". The Indian Express. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  10. ^ B.P, Darshan Devaiah (1 August 2025). "Bengaluru metro's Yellow Line gets safety clearance from CMRS for operations". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "BMRCL decides against partial PPP for Namma Metro Phase 2". The Hindu. 31 January 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Union Cabinet approves Phase 2 of Namma Metro". The Hindu. 30 January 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Biocon, Infy to Adopt Two Metro Stations – ETtech". ETtech.com. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Metro floats tenders for Electronics City route". The New Indian Express. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  16. ^ Staff Reporter (10 December 2016). "Electronics City inches closer to being on metro map". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  17. ^ Menezes, Naveen (10 May 2017). "Thai company ITD will build stations on e-city line in Bengaluru". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  18. ^ Siddiqui, Muthi-ur-Rahman. "First driverless, Chinese train for Namma Metro arrives in Bengaluru". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  19. ^ Naveen Menezes (3 July 2020). "BEML ready to cut Bangalore Metro tender cost". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d e f The cost for Reach-5 was averaged out from the total contract value
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "BMRCL Tenders". tenderb.bmrc.co.in. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Coaches of driverless metro train to reach Bengaluru from Chennai soon". The Hindu. 12 February 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  24. ^ "First driverless train from China on its way". The New Indian Express. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  25. ^ Vivan, Sridhar (4 November 2023). "Chinese rakes for Namma Metro soon". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  26. ^ "BMRCL officials visit China to inspect Bengaluru metro Yellow Line coaches". The Hindu. 31 October 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Siddiqui, Muthi-ur-Rahman. "Namma Metro's Yellow Line to open with 5-6 trains, 20-min frequency". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Commuters frustrated as Namma Metro's Yellow Line set to open without adequate trains". The Hindu.
  30. ^ b. p, Darshan Devaiah. "PM Modi inaugurates long-delayed Yellow Line of Bengaluru Metro, flags off Vande Bharat to Belagavi". The Hindu.
  31. ^ b. p, Darshan Devaiah. "Four years late, Bengaluru metro's Yellow Line ready to run". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  32. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (4 August 2025). "Namma Metro Yellow Line in Bengaluru to be inaugurated by PM Modi on August 10: Check stations, cost, etc". {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  33. ^ Philip, Christin Mathew (8 July 2025). "Bengaluru's Electronics City Metro: 3 trains, 7 stations, BMRCL charts August launch plan". moneycontrol.com.