Bengaluru: The Blue Line Metro work is underway on a major traffic road in the IT Corridor. The timing for the commencement of this metro has now been fixed. BMRCL has given information about the first phase of Namma Metro’s Blue Line. This route, which will connect Central Silk Board to KR Puram, will be operational by mid-2026. This 18 km long route will pass through the Outer Ring Road (ORR). This is a major IT corridor of the city.

‘STOP: Nudging Commuter Behavior’ program was organized to promote the use of public transport. BMRCL Managing Director Maheshwar Rao gave this information at the program. He expressed confidence that this route will be opened between June and September. In addition, the service of the yellow line (RV Road to Bommasandra) connecting Electronics City is expected to start by May-end, he said. This project will benefit commuters and reduce vehicular congestion on the roads.

BMRCL Managing Director Maheshwar Rao said, “We will be able to start the service by June. We will see. It may be delayed by 2-3 months. Trains will come. We will speed up the work based on the availability of workers. We are hopeful of opening the line by June-September,” he said.

The event was organised in collaboration with Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA), Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) and WRI India. Its main objective was to motivate people to use public transport.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had said earlier, BMRCL is preparing to start the Yellow Line (RV Road to Bommasandra) service by the end of May 2025. It will connect to Electronic City. “We already have two trains. Most of the tests are over. I hope we will get approval from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety in the first week of May. But we need at least three trains,” Rao said.

The Yellow Line will initially have a capacity to handle 5,400 passengers per hour. This will reduce the number of vehicles from the road by 2,000. When operating with three trains, the service will be available at only five stations. In the next one and a half years, 15 trains will be commissioned. Then trains will be available at all Metro stations at a frequency of 5-6 minutes

Namma Metro chief has sought help from companies to boost the public transport system. “We are expecting more people to come from Yeshwantpur and RV Road sides after the Yellow Line is operational,” he said.

Officials admitted that the recent metro fare hike was a problem, but said that BMRCL is now working on providing first and last mile connectivity.

The Station Access and Mobility Programme (STOMP) Innovation Challenge, which started on Friday, is a competition to find solutions to increase metro ridership in Electronics City. The competition is open to anyone globally. But they must partner with an Indian organization. Its main goal is to use behavioral science principles to improve public transport experiences. The competition will be held from April to June.

The selected contestants will share a grant of USD 100,000 for solution development and testing. Additionally, participants will attend a boot camp at Ashoka University’s Centre for Social and Behavioral Change to gain expertise in behavioral science.

The finalists will benefit in three key areas: Business (support in business growth, pilot projects, government connectivity tools and technical guidance), Recognition (access to subject matter experts, government officials and local authorities for mentoring) and Financial Support (prize money for shortlisted teams)

The competition is organised by ELCIA and WRI India. There are 200+ member companies in Electronics City (with 200,000+ employees). BMRCL and BMTC have also joined hands in this programme with the support of TMF. Senior representatives from Infosys, Biocon, Wipro, Tata Power, Titan and many others attended the inauguration ceremony. They expressed their support for increased use of public transport. The Blue Line Metro service is likely to start by June, which may be delayed by 2-3 months. Trains will come. We will accelerate the work based on the availability of labour. “We are hopeful of opening the route by June-September 2026,” said BMRCL MD Maheshwar Rao. His words have given new hope to the passengers waiting for the Blue Line.