Namma Metro services on the Yellow Line in Bengaluru were disrupted for 35 minutes on Monday after passengers staged a protest at the Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road (RV Road) Metro station, standing in between the coach doors to prevent them from closing, demanding that issues of low frequency and delays in operation timings be addressed.
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While Purple and Green Line operations begin at 4.30 am, the newly launched Yellow Line connecting RV Road and Bommasandra begins at 6 am.
The protesting passengers questioned the ‘delay’ in the start of operations, and refused to relent even though Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) staff tried to convince them.
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After services resumed at 6.35 am, BMRCL officials lodged a police complaint against the protesters.
In a statement issued on Monday, BMRCL confirmed the delay and said that a group of people deliberately blocked the departure of the first train on the Yellow Line. “To stabilise services, one train had to be short-looped at Central Silk Board. Such actions inconvenience many passengers and affect the safety and smooth functioning of metro operations,” the statement said.
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As per the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, such disruptions can lead to imprisonment, fines, or both. A formal complaint has been filed with the police for further action, the statement said.
From November 1, after adding the fifth trainset, the Yellow Line start time was advanced from 6.30 am to 6 am, leading to an improvement in peak-hour frequency, with waiting time reduced from 19 minutes to 15 minutes. The service is expected to improve further once more trainsets are introduced in the coming months.
Currently, the BMRCL is using 100 per cent of the Yellow Line trains during peak hours to support passenger convenience, even though it means temporarily operating without a spare train, the statement said.