Namma Metro’s airport-bound Blue Line train makes trial run at Byappanahalli depot
The run inside the depot is an early step. Services on the Outer Ring Road and airport line are not expected before 2027.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has carried out a trial run of a Blue Line train at its Byappanahalli depot, an early step towards running trains on the line that will link the Outer Ring Road’s tech corridor with Kempegowda International Airport.
The first train for the Blue Line reached the depot in June 2026. Testing inside a depot checks a train’s brakes, signalling equipment and systems before it is allowed onto the main line. Trials on the Central Silk Board to KR Puram stretch had been expected to start around the end of October.
The bigger picture
The Blue Line, about 58 km long, runs in two parts: Phase 2A along the Outer Ring Road from Central Silk Board to KR Puram, and Phase 2B from KR Puram past Hebbal to the airport. It is meant to take pressure off two of the city’s most congested roads, the ORR and the airport road, where an elevated corridor is now being built on Ballari Road.
Its timeline has slipped more than once. Officials had once promised the airport link by the end of 2026; recent reports suggest services will open in phases from 2027, with the full line running by around March 2028.
What’s next
Main-line trials and a safety inspection by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety must be completed before passengers can ride.
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