BMRCL Receives Train Prototype for Operational Metro Lines

17 Jan 2025 CW Team

On January 15, 2025, Namma Metro received a prototype of a train from the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) for its operational lines. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will conduct tests and trial runs over the next six to eight months.

In 2019, CRRC secured a contract to supply 216 metro cars (36 train sets) for the Yellow Line (RV Road to Bommasandra) and the operational Purple and Green Lines. Of these 36 trains, 21 will be six-coach units used on the two active lines.

Namma Metro currently operates a 77 km network, with passenger numbers steadily increasing. However, due to a shortage of trains, BMRCL cannot yet increase service frequency, and commuters, especially during peak hours, have expressed frustration over overcrowded trains.

After considerable delays, BMRCL received the DTG (distance-to-go) train prototype from China on January 12 at Peenya depot. Titagarh Rail Systems, contracted by CRRC to manufacture trains locally, will supply the remaining train sets in the near future. Yeshwanth Chavan, Chief PRO of BMRCL, stated that over the next several months, the trains will undergo static, electrical, and dynamic tests before receiving approval for passenger service. ""As per regulations, all new rolling stock must pass these tests before being deployed,"" he explained.

Currently, BMRCL operates 57 trains: 33 on the Purple Line and the remaining on the Green Line. A prototype for a driverless train for the Yellow Line was received in February 2024, with tests ongoing. The new train for the Yellow Line, produced by Titagarh, is expected to reach Bengaluru by January 20.

Infrastructure Energy

09 Jan 2026

Rajesh Power Secures 65 MW BESS Project in Gujarat

Rajesh Power Services has recently secured a 65 MW / 130 MWh standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Gujarat, marking its entry into utility-scale energy storage. The company received a Letter of Intent from Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam for the project, which will be developed at Virpore under a tariff-based competitive bidding mechanism supported by Viability Gap Funding through the Power System Development Fund.The project is expected to be executed within 18 months from the signing of the Battery Energy Storage Purchase Agreement. With the ability to supply 65 MW of power for..

ONGC Forms JV with MOL for Ethane Shipping Operations

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) has recently entered the ethane shipping segment through joint venture agreements with M/s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines), Japan. The agreements involve equity participation in two joint venture entities—Bharat Ethane One IFSC Private Limited and Bharat Ethane Two IFSC Private Limited—registered at GIFT City, Gandhinagar.Under the arrangement, ONGC will subscribe to 2,00,000 equity shares of Rs 100 each in both entities, resulting in a 50 per cent equity holding in each joint venture, with the remaining stake ..

Waaree Energy Storage Raises Rs 10.03 Billio for 20 GWh Plant

Waaree Energy Storage Solutions Private, a subsidiary of Waaree Energies, has recently completed a strategic fund raise of around Rs 10.03 billion from a group of strategic investors, including family offices, high-net-worth individuals and institutional backers. The funding strengthens the company’s position in India’s rapidly expanding energy storage ecosystem.The capital raise forms part of an announced capital expenditure programme of nearly Rs 100 billion for setting up a 20 GWh advanced lithium-ion cell and battery pack manufacturing facility. The plant will manufacture high-performa..