Metro Rail Safety Commissioner asks BMRCL to probe after MP Surya flags repeated service disruptions

Bengaluru: The Chief Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) has directed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) to investigate train service disruptions reported over the past three years and submit a report detailing the corrective measures taken.

The direction from Janak Kumar Garg, Chief Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety for the Southern Circle, follows a complaint by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who sought a comprehensive safety audit of Namma Metro after a series of technical failures.

In a reply to the MP, Garg said he had asked BMRCL to investigate the June 23 service disruption and provide details of the corrective measures taken in the case, as well as in similar incidents over the past three years. He also directed the metro operator to audit the effectiveness of its operations and maintenance systems.


Welcoming the directive, Surya said passenger safety and convenience must remain BMRCL's highest priority.

"Passenger safety and convenience must be BMRCL's highest priority, not an afterthought. The state government must treat this with the urgency it deserves. As the authority responsible for the operation and maintenance of Namma Metro, the state government is fully accountable for ensuring safe, reliable and uninterrupted services," he said in a post on X.

The BJP MP said the nearly 20 service disruptions reported since January 2024 warranted immediate corrective action and urged BMRCL to address systemic deficiencies to restore commuter confidence.

Bengaluru's metro rail services are a lifeline for thousands of commuters, including tech workers in hubs such as Electronic City, Whitefield and Mahadevapura, as well as employees in other industrial areas.

In his letter to the CMRS, Surya referred to the June 23 disruption, which he said was caused by a fault in the Current Collector Device (CCD), leaving thousands of commuters stranded across multiple metro stations.

"The incident brought the city's mobility to a standstill and left thousands of passengers stranded across multiple metro stations. This raises serious concerns about the operational preparedness, maintenance standards and overall reliability of BMRCL," he wrote.

Surya also highlighted that nearly 20 technical failures and service disruptions had been reported across the Bengaluru Metro network since January 2024, with the Purple Line accounting for the highest number of breakdowns. Repeated ticketing failures, signalling faults and track defects, he said, pointed to systemic shortcomings rather than isolated incidents.

The MP urged the CMRS to ensure a comprehensive safety and maintenance audit of metro operations and to monitor the implementation of a detailed action-taken report in the interest of commuter safety and service reliability.