Bangalore: BEML Begins Production of Driverless Trains for Namma Metro
Bangalore: Driverless trains will soon operate on the upcoming Blue and Pink lines of the Namma metro system. On Saturday, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao and Rolling Stock Director NM Dhok attended the inauguration of the metro’s driverless trains.
The inaugural event was held at the BEML office in CV Raman Nagar, Bangalore. BEML Chairman and Managing Director Shantanu Roy, along with several other officials, participated in the event, according to BMRCL’s announcement.
BEML secured the metro’s largest coach contract as of August 2023, with a ₹3,177 crore bid for the driverless trains. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing financial support for this initiative.
Production and Management
As per the agreement, BEML will design, manufacture, and supply 318 coaches, which equates to 53 train sets. BEML will also conduct testing and handle maintenance for up to 15 years.
Currently, driverless metro trains are being supplied from China for the Yellow Line, with additional trainsets for the Yellow Line being provided by Titagarh. The Yellow Line is expected to begin operations by December.
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When Will the Pink Line and Blue Line Be Inaugurated?
Sixteen trainsets have been constructed for the Kalena Agrahara-Nagawara 21.26 km rail line of the Pink Line (also known as the Rose Line) in the first phase, with 19 km of the Silk Board Junction-KR Pura line being constructed in the second phase. The remaining 21 trainsets are being built to operate between KR Pura and Kempegowda International Airport on the Blue Line.
The Pink Line, which features the longest tunnel in Bengaluru, is expected to open by December 2025. All the coaches being built by BEML are equipped with Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), a signaling system that allows metro trains to run at intervals of 90 seconds without loco pilots.
BEML’s in-house engineering teams in Bangalore completely designed and built the trains. They are constructed using high-tensile austenitic stainless steel, and each coach is fitted with two air conditioners. The supply of all trains is expected to begin in December 2025 and continue into 2026, with a target of supplying two or three trains per month.
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