Bengaluru Metro’s Blue Line has moved closer to main-line trial operations after a new train completed preliminary testing at the Byappanahalli depot, with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) preparing to begin test runs on the Outer Ring Road corridor soon.
The train, supplied by BEML for the Blue Line, was tested on the depot’s dedicated test track on Saturday. The checks covered braking, electrical connectivity, traction and safety systems. Static and oscillation tests were also conducted to assess whether the train could operate on the track without technical obstacles.
BMRCL is expected to begin the first phase of main-line trials from the Byappanahalli depot connection towards K R Puram and then Marathahalli. The testing will follow the successful completion of depot-level checks. The train sets being supplied for the corridor are designed to support driverless train technology, although the report does not state that passenger services will initially operate without drivers.
The Blue Line is being built in two parts under Bengaluru Metro’s Phase 2. The 19.75-kilometre Phase 2A section will connect Central Silk Board with K R Puram and is planned to have 13 stations. The listed locations include Silk Board, HSR Layout, Agara, Ibbaluru, Bellandur, Kadirenahalli or Krantiveera Sarvagnya, Devarabeesanahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Marathahalli, ISRO, Doddanekkundi, DRDO, Saraswatinagar or Mahadevapura and K R Puram.
The approximately 38.44-kilometre Phase 2B section will extend from K R Puram to Kempegowda International Airport through Kasturinagar, Nagawara, Hebbal and Yelahanka. Together, the two sections will form a 58.19-kilometre corridor, one of the longest planned Metro routes in the city.
The corridor will connect with other Metro lines at important junctions. Silk Board will provide an interchange with the Yellow Line, K R Puram with the Purple Line and Nagawara with the Pink Line. The connections are significant because the route passes through Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road technology corridor, where daily traffic includes large volumes of employee and commercial movement.
Before passenger operations can begin, BMRCL will have to complete signalling integration, load testing and further oscillation tests after the main-line trial runs. The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety will then inspect the corridor and issue approval before commercial services can start.
According to the report, the Silk Board–K R Puram section is expected to open for public service around the middle of 2027. The airport section may begin operations by the end of 2027 or in early 2028, subject to the remaining construction, systems testing and statutory safety approvals.
