According to the latest updates, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited conducted a preliminary trial of a Blue Line train on the test track at the Byappanahalli depot on Saturday, 7 November 2026. The Hindu reported that the run checked electrical systems, the readiness of the rolling stock and possible infringements along the track. Vijaya Karnataka reported that braking, electrical connection, traction and safety standards were examined, along with static and oscillation tests. Bharat Earth Movers Limited manufactured the driverless trainset used on the line. BMRCL is preparing to move testing to the main line shortly. An official told The Hindu that testing would resume next week, subject to the availability of workers after Deepavali. Vijaya Karnataka said the first main line trial is planned from the depot connecting track via K.R. Puram towards Marathahalli.
The Blue Line covers Metro Phases 2A and 2B. The K.R. Puram to Kempegowda International Airport stretch is 38.44 km long, and the K.R. Puram to Central Silk Board section covers 19.75 km. Vijaya Karnataka put the full corridor at 58.19 km and said Phase 2A could open to the public around mid 2027, with the airport section expected at the end of 2027 or in early 2028.
This development matters because the Blue Line is Bengaluru’s airport and Outer Ring Road corridor, and one of the city’s longest metro projects. Depot testing of BEML’s driverless trainsets marks a move from civil construction toward rolling stock proving, signalling integration and safety certification. Suppliers and contractors on the Central Silk Board to K.R. Puram stretch will watch how quickly tests move from the depot to the main line after the Deepavali break.
In our expert opinion, a successful depot trial is a required step, not proof that passenger service is near. Main line testing, load and oscillation trials, signalling and telecom integration, and inspection by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety still lie ahead, as Vijaya Karnataka noted. BEML gains a visible delivery milestone on a high profile driverless contract. BMRCL’s timetable remains exposed to labour availability after Deepavali, as The Hindu reported, and to unfinished electrification, signalling and telecom work on the main line. Vijaya Karnataka said 33 kV cables and third rail electrification are nearing completion, track laying is largely done, and signalling and telecom installation is still in progress. Coverage that treats a yard run as evidence the airport line is close to opening misses that gap. We expect BMRCL to begin limited main line trials on the depot to K.R. Puram and Marathahalli section within two weeks after Deepavali if workers return as planned, and to miss that window if the holiday labour gap lasts longer.
This is important for our readers because commissioning risk now sits in testing and systems integration, not only in viaduct construction. Rolling stock and signalling suppliers should prepare site support for the first main line run next week and confirm crew availability after the holiday. Contractors on Phase 2A should close remaining third rail, 33 kV and signalling works on the K.R. Puram to Marathahalli stretch before those trials begin. Airport corridor planners should treat mid 2027 for Central Silk Board to K.R. Puram as a working public date only if main line trials start this month; if they do not, revise internal commissioning plans this week.
The Hindu, 7 November 2026. Vijaya Karnataka, 7 November 2026.
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