By Shivya Kanojia

Copyright timesnownews

Bengaluru’s Namma Metro Yellow Line, which runs from R.V. Road to Bommasandra, has received its fifth trainset, giving some relief to daily commuters struggling with long waiting times. The new set of coaches, manufactured by Titagarh Rail Systems in Kolkata, arrived at the city depot on 30 September. Engineers will now assemble the rake, after which it will undergo a 20-day trial before being introduced into regular service by mid-October. The 18.82-km Yellow Line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2025. At the time, only three trains were available, forcing passengers to wait over 25 minutes between services, particularly during peak hours. A fourth train, added earlier in September, cut the wait to 19 minutes, but crowding remained severe. With the fifth train in place, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) expects frequency to improve to one train every 15 minutes, as per a report by Times Property. Each Yellow Line train is equipped with Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology, which supports driverless operations and can reduce intervals to 90 seconds. However, BMRCL has clarified that for now, trains will continue to be driven by metro pilots until approvals for automatic operations are received. The Yellow Line project had faced delays not in construction, but in train supply. In 2019, Chinese firm CRRC won the contract to supply 216 metro coaches for ₹1,578 crore, with a requirement to set up production in India. After missing deadlines and facing the risk of its ₹372-crore bank guarantee being encashed, CRRC partnered with Titagarh Rail Systems, which began local manufacturing. Deliveries have since picked up, though the pace remains slower than planned. Officials said the fifth trainset would ease some pressure on the line, which serves thousands of daily riders, but more rakes are needed to match international metro service standards. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Bengaluru and around the world.