Bengaluru Metro inducts first Titagarh-CRRC train on Green Line

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Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) has inducted the first six-coach train manufactured under its Titagarh-China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) rolling stock contract on the 33-km Green Line between Madavara and Silk Institute, marking another step towards clearing the backlog in the maintenance of its existing fleet.

The first train, TS16, was inducted into service on Monday. Two more trains are expected to be inducted shortly. However, the addition of the new trainsets will not immediately translate into more services or shorter waiting times for passengers.

According to BMRCL officials, the incoming trains are being used to facilitate the withdrawal of older trainsets for scheduled maintenance. The corporation is currently prioritising the overhaul of trains that have completed the required service period, with each trainset expected to remain under maintenance for about 15 days.

“The maintenance of metro trains is essential to ensure the safety, reliability, and availability of the fleet. While the trains are designed for a long service life, comprehensive mid-life maintenance is required to inspect, overhaul and replace components that undergo wear over years of operation,” a BMRCL official said.

Metro rolling stock typically has a service life of around 30 years, but major mid-life maintenance is carried out during the operating period to ensure that critical systems continue to function reliably. The exercise involves taking trains out of regular service for detailed inspection and scheduled overhaul, according to officials.

BMRCL had planned to use the arrival of the new trains to address the accumulated maintenance backlog. However, officials are examining the timing and pace of the programme in view of the pressure on train availability across the network.

The Green Line is eventually expected to receive the complete fleet of 21 six-coach Titagarh-CRRC trains by the second quarter of 2027. The new trains are likely to be deployed exclusively on the corridor, with their maintenance to be handled at the Peenya depot.

Of the 21 trainsets, the first has now been inducted, while the remaining 20 are being manufactured at Titagarh Rail Systems’ facility in Uttarpara, West Bengal. The deployment plan is intended to simplify operations and maintenance by keeping the new fleet concentrated on a single corridor.

The arrival of the new trains will also result in a redistribution of Bengaluru Metro’s existing rolling stock. The 17 BEML trainsets currently operating on the Green Line are expected to be shifted gradually to the Purple Line, which runs between Challaghatta and Whitefield and has the highest passenger demand among the Metro corridors.

The redeployment is expected to provide additional rolling stock on the Purple Line while allowing BMRCL to maintain the Green Line with a dedicated fleet of newer trains, according to officials. The officials expect the arrangement to improve fleet availability and support capacity management on both corridors.

The new trains use Distance-To-Go (DTG) technology and have a design broadly similar to the rolling stock deployed on the Yellow Line between R.V. Road and Electronics City, which is compatible with the signalling requirements of the corridor.

The induction also marks progress in a procurement project that has faced prolonged delays. In 2019, BMRCL awarded a ₹1,578-crore contract to CRRC for the supply of 216 metro coaches. The project subsequently ran into difficulties after CRRC did not establish the manufacturing facility in India that was required under the contract.

The delays led BMRCL to issue multiple notices to the company and consider invoking a bank guarantee of ₹372 crore. The impasse was eventually addressed after CRRC partnered with Kolkata-based Titagarh Rail Systems, enabling the remaining coaches to be manufactured in India.

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