Tejasvi Surya Demands Audit of BMRCL Over Recurring Metro Disruptions

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday demanded a comprehensive audit of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd's (BMRCL) operations and maintenance practices following 20 reported technical faults and service disruptions on the Namma Metro network since January 2024. In a letter to Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Surya highlighted that the Purple Line has experienced the highest number of these disruptions.

The MP pointed to a major service disruption on June 23, which was reportedly caused by a fault in the Current Collector Device (CCD). This incident left thousands of passengers stranded across multiple stations and caused severe overcrowding during peak hours, bringing mobility in the city to a standstill.

Surya raised concerns over passenger safety, operational efficiency, and high commuter fares. He noted that despite BMRCL's operations and maintenance expenditure increasing by 133 percent—rising from Rs 262.94 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 613.51 crore in 2023-24—commuters continue to face repeated service failures while paying some of the highest Metro fares in the country.

To ensure greater transparency, the Bengaluru South MP requested that the state government and BMRCL disclose details regarding the inspection frequency of third rail infrastructure, including alignment components, bolts, and fasteners. He specifically asked for information on when the affected section was last inspected and whether the work was conducted in-house or outsourced.

Surya further demanded that the Root Cause Analysis report for the June 23 breakdown and all maintenance records, inspection reports, and audit findings from the past 12 months be made public. He also urged BMRCL to submit an action taken report with clear timelines to improve reliability, passenger safety, and institutional accountability.