Bengaluru’s Namma Metro is set to introduce platform screen doors (PSDs) for the first time, beginning with stations on the upcoming Pink Line. A full-scale prototype has already been installed at MG Road station, according to a report released on Saturday.

With civil works nearing completion along the 21.26-kilometre Kalena Agrahara–Nagawara corridor, BMRCL has begun track-laying and the installation of key systems, including PSDs. These automatic doors open only when a train stops at the designated point, reducing the risk of accidental falls and track intrusions—issues that have been reported several times in recent months.

In underground stations, PSDs also significantly improve ventilation efficiency by limiting air exchange between platforms and tunnels.

While metro systems in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai already use PSDs or platform gates, none of Bengaluru’s existing 83 stations are equipped with them. The mock-up at MG Road, supplied by subcontractor Panasonic, will undergo testing before full rollout. Once approved, PSDs will be installed across all 12 underground stations on the Pink Line over a six-month period, a senior BMRCL official said.

Each PSD unit will stand around 2.15 metres tall, with platform gates measuring 1.4 metres in height and spanning the full 128-metre platform length. The cost per station is estimated at Rs 90 million.

The installation forms part of a larger contract awarded to Alstom Transport in June 2024—valued at 96.2 million euros—to design and commission a Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system for the Pink and Blue Lines. The contract includes PSDs for all underground stations on the Pink Line, PSDs for the Blue Line’s airport terminal station and platform gates for the Airport City station.

BMRCL also plans to introduce PSDs at Majestic and Central College stations on the Purple Line, while Konappana Agrahara station—funded by the Infosys Foundation—will be fitted with platform gates.