Bangalore Metro Yellow Line’s 1st CRRC Train Arrives at Chennai Port

The prototype CRRC train-set for 19.143 km Bangalore Metro Yellow Line (Reach 5) arrived at Chennai Port on Tuesday after a 13 day sea journey from the Port of Shanghai in China.

This 6-coach train is the first of 15 trains to be manufactured for Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project’s Yellow Line which will connect RV Road – Electronic City – Bommasandra via 16 elevated stations.

The train’s first look inside CRRC’s Puzhen plant in Nanjing was leaked in September 2023 when it was undergoing factory acceptance tests (FAT). The train’s roll-out ceremony was held in October-end with officials from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) in attendance.

Getting loaded onto cargo ship Spring Mota in January 2024 – screenshot from CRRC’s promo video

This 6-coach train is the first of two trains that will be shipped from China as part of Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project’s 36 train (216 coach) contract 4RS-DM awarded by BMRCL in December 2019. The rest 34 trains will be assembled locally by Titagarh Rail Systems in West Bengal.

Here are some snaps of Spring Mota docked at Chennai Port shared by S. Lalitha on X with the train’s coaches claimed to be shot late on Tuesday night:

The train will first have to clear customs at Chennai Port which can take anywhere from 2-5 days looking at historic timeframes of other projects’ metro coaches and tunnel boring machines (TBMs). Coaches will then be loaded onto trailers and transported by road to Hebbagodi Depot which can take anywhere from 4-7 days.

Looking at that, I reckon we’re looking at an arrival into Hebbagodi somewhere between February 15-20. Once at Hebbagodi Depot, the train will be unloaded, coupled (assembled) with CRRC’s engineers’ assistance, and undergo static tests followed by dynamic tests at the depot’s test track.

Since this an entirely new train design, the train during main-line testing will have to undergo oscillation tests and get certified by Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO). This statutory test can take anywhere from 1-3 months and the results will be included in BMRCL’s report when it seeks the final safety clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS).

At this time I see this line opening up no sooner than Q4 (October – December) 2024 and wouldn’t be surprised if the line ends up opening in 2025.

For more updates, check out the Bangalore section or my Home Page! Sign up for free instant email notifications on new posts over here. Like this post? Get early-access to updates and support the site over here.

– TMRG

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

26 Responses to "Bangalore Metro Yellow Line’s 1st CRRC Train Arrives at Chennai Port"

  1. Naidu says:

    Logon ke liye “no Cina” ,
    Sarkaar ke liye “only China”

    Reply
    • Modi hai to mumkin hai says:

      Only protos sets are from china, actual trains will be mfged in WB in your didi’s state by titagarh

      Reply
    • Abdul rahaman says:

      Absolutely yes my friend i agree

      Reply
    • Partha says:

      Pretty sure lots of stuff that people use are still from China (including but not only electronics). Politics apart, It’s impossible for any major country to not have China in supply chain – given their size and scale of mfg. Alternatives are still far away

      Reply
  2. Amitesh says:

    They already arrived in Hebbadgodi depot, Bangalore.
    My friend saw them getting shipped from Chennai via road.
    Also please update the Bangalore metro next phase page.

    Reply
  3. Sriharsha says:

    I hope the trains for the pink line are on its way. The tests can be done and kept ready for launch in 2025.

    Reply
  4. Jishnukrishna Venkat says:

    Freaking just stop being so pessimistic. July or August 2024 opening is Completely Possible.

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      That would be nice, but CRRC-Titagarh’s arrangement doesn’t inspire confidence in churning out completed train-sets at a frequency to meet that timeframe 🙂

      Reply
      • Anupam Mitra says:

        Pune metro is built by Titagarh. Those are first modern Aluminium coaches in India. Titagarh took over a railway coach factory in Italy who has expertise in Aluminium coaches also.

        Reply
      • Sumit Malik says:

        Problem isn’t just CRRC-Titagarh. Problem is BMRCL.

        Reply
    • anil says:

      agree that the prototype train is arriving but that doesn’t mean other works for testing, trials and for commercial runs are complete. There are many works still pending and this prototype train will need to wait in a godown(or parked somewhere) for the next few weeks before the infrastructure for complete testing is ready.

      Reply
      • Jishnukrishna Venkat says:

        That would hardly take a 3-4 months, for everything (inclusive of CBTC Signal-fication of the line), except coaches are ready there

        Reply
  5. Kiwi Mel hoovu says:

    When will metro line to international airport be functioning ? 2030

    Reply
    • TMRG says:

      Not before Q4 2026. Long way to go.

      Reply
      • Jishnukrishna Venkat says:

        Hmm… not really long way.. construction of this line has been the fastest ever. It is going at a legit Fighter Jet Mach 2 Pace itself, when compared to the construction of other lines, thanks to U-girders and Early Land Acquisition..

        Reply
  6. N n reddy says:

    Why not it be operational before April 2024👍😀

    Reply
    • Pitch Blak says:

      They can’t do any work due to the code of conduct during lok sabha elections , definitely after June -july

      Reply
      • Sumit Malik says:

        Model Code of Conduct isn’t the reason.

        The reason is that there aren’t enough trains, there isn’t enough time to do all the required testing before that time.

        Reply
  7. Aditya says:

    I got a image to be posted how to do that ? We have seen something arrived to Hebbagodi.

    Reply
    • Kshittij says:

      Just post them on Twitter or any other social media platform and just upload the link in the comment section below

      Reply
  8. Proxy noxy says:

    Any idea when the silk board line will be operational admin?

    Reply
  9. Arijeet says:

    Has the Sarjapura Metro DPR been accepted and approved? When can we expect the work to commence?

    Reply

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