New Trains, Better Frequency: How 21 CRRC Coaches Are Transforming Namma Metro's Green and Purple Lines

Namma Metro's Green Line is on the cusp of its biggest fleet upgrade since the line opened. BMRCL is deploying all 21 brand-new six-coach trainsets from CRRC-Titagarh Rail Systems exclusively on the 33-km Green Line — with three expected in passenger service by August 2026 and the full set arriving by early 2027. As each new CRRC train enters service, an existing BEML trainset cascades to the Purple Line, which carries Namma Metro's heaviest passenger volumes. The result: two corridors get meaningfully better at the same time, without buying extra trains for the Purple Line.

India's first CRRC-Titagarh trains: what the Green Line is getting

The 21 trainsets are being built by CRRC-Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL), a joint venture between China's CRRC Corporation and India's Titagarh Rail Systems. Each trainset is a six-coach formation, giving the Green Line greater per-train capacity compared with the four-coach BEML sets it is replacing. The prototype arrived at BMRCL in January 2025 and spent over a year clearing mandatory regulatory approvals — from the Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety, and the Railway Board — before being cleared for revenue service in early 2026. Three Distance-To-Go (DTG) trainsets, including the prototype, have now been delivered.

The remaining 20 trains are being built at TRSL's Uttarpara factory in West Bengal. BMRCL has set a schedule under which it expects to receive eight to ten additional trainsets by December 2026, with delivery of the full fleet of 21 completed by March 2027 — three months ahead of the official contractual deadline of June 2027. Three of the delivered trains are targeted for entry into passenger service by August 2026, giving commuters on the Madavara–Silk Institute corridor their first regular experience of the new rolling stock.

The cascade plan: how the Purple Line wins too

BMRCL's strategy is elegantly efficient: every CRRC train that enters service on the Green Line displaces an older BEML trainset, which is then transferred to the Purple Line. Seventeen BEML trainsets are expected to make this journey from Green to Purple over the deployment cycle. The Purple Line — running 43.5 km between Whitefield (Kadugodi) in the east and Challaghatta in the west — is Namma Metro's most crowded corridor, carrying peak-hour volumes that regularly push trains to capacity. Adding more trains directly addresses the overcrowding that commuters on this corridor have flagged repeatedly.

The cascade approach is a smart way to extract more value from an existing fleet. Rather than the BEML trains sitting idle or being retired, they extend their useful life on a corridor where they are genuinely needed. The Purple Line also benefits from the operational familiarity BMRCL already has with the BEML rolling stock — maintenance teams know these trains well, which means fewer surprises as the fleet scales up on the corridor.

What commuters on both lines can expect

For Green Line riders between Madavara and Silk Institute, the first CRRC trains in service bring the look and feel of a newer-generation metro — updated interiors, modern passenger information systems, and the higher capacity of six-coach consists. As deliveries scale through late 2026 and into 2027, the frequency on the Green Line is expected to improve as the full fleet makes it possible to run more trains in rotation. BMRCL's long-term target for the corridor is a sub-four-minute peak-hour headway, a standard that the full 21-train fleet makes feasible.

For Purple Line commuters, the timeline for relief is rolling rather than all-at-once. Each CRRC train cleared for Green Line service means one more BEML train available on the Purple. The practical improvement — shorter waits, less platform crowding — will build incrementally from August 2026 through early 2027. Riders on both lines benefit from watching BMRCL's delivery and commissioning announcements: as each new CRRC trainset clears the mandatory 750-km dynamic testing run at Peenya depot, that's one more train close to service. Keep an eye on NammaConnect's Metro Updates section for real-time fleet news.