Bengaluru’s Yellow Line Metro Transforms Commute, Slashing Peak-Hour Traffic by Nearly 40%!

The much-anticipated Yellow Line of Namma Metro, connecting R.V. Road to Bommasandra, is already making a significant difference for commuters in south Bengaluru. This new route has substantially eased traffic, reducing congestion by a remarkable 38% during morning peak hours and 37% during evening peak hours on weekdays.

These impressive statistics come from an official study by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), whose findings were reviewed by The Hindu. The report highlights a 17% average decrease in congestion during weekday non-peak hours. Overall, the entire stretch has experienced a 30.6% reduction in traffic, with peak hours seeing an even more impactful 37.5% drop.

Notably, the 19.15-kilometer metro line has delivered an even more dramatic improvement on weekends, offering significant relief to city dwellers.

Insights from ASTraM system of Bengaluru Traffic Police

Congestion length: Morning Peak Hours 

Congestion length: Non-peak hours

Congestion length: Evening peak hours 

The BTP’s analysis reveals astonishing weekend improvements: morning peak-hour congestion plummeted by 69%, while evening peak hours saw a 39% reduction. Even during weekend non-peak hours, traffic eased by an impressive 58%.

These comprehensive insights were gathered using the Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management (ASTraM) system, the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s cutting-edge smart traffic engine. For this particular study, data collected from August 11 to August 31 was rigorously compared against historical trends. The analysis categorized morning peak hours from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., non-peak hours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and evening peak hours from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Relief for smaller roads

Gopal M. Byakod, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic South), shared with The Hindu that this remarkable decline, particularly during the busiest hours, has significantly streamlined on-ground traffic management. ‘This reduction is a very encouraging sign, especially considering the current limited number of trains,’ he explained. ‘We anticipate even greater improvements in easing congestion and resolving localized traffic challenges once the BMRCL introduces more train sets to shorten the intervals between services.’

A senior colleague emphasized another crucial benefit of the Yellow Line: ‘Major junctions typically experience severe daily congestion, which then spills over, heavily impacting smaller connecting roads. Efficiently managing traffic on these smaller arteries is key to resolving overall bottlenecks. Now, with fewer vehicles on these routes, our task has become noticeably simpler.’

Police officials also confirmed that the new metro line has brought much-needed relief to Hosur Main Road and Madiwala, a vital interchange for inter-State bus services.

Metro eases traffic at key junctions

This metro corridor spans some of Bengaluru’s most infamously congested junctions and nearly a dozen persistent bottlenecks. Key areas like BTM Circle, Silk Board Junction, Hosa Road Junction, and Electronics City are now witnessing noticeable improvements in traffic flow.

Traffic police explain that these junctions traditionally suffered from heavy congestion due to the daily commute of employees from central south Bengaluru to corporate centers further south. The Yellow Line has successfully forged a vital link, significantly decreasing the number of vehicles on these roads.

For Anusha M., who previously navigated her daily commute from BTM Layout to Electronics City on a scooter, the metro is now the preferred choice. ‘Even with the occasional wait, it’s far more comfortable and saves a lot of time. It’s also better for my health,’ she shared. However, she also mentioned that while many of her fellow two-wheeler commuters have embraced the metro, some friends temporarily returned to their scooters due to initial overcrowding.

Wednesdays see higher traffic

Interestingly, the study observed that Wednesdays still experience the highest congestion among weekdays. Before the metro’s launch, morning peak congestion on Wednesdays typically reached 37.02 km, and evening peak hit 64.10 km. Post-metro, these figures have reduced to 26.79 km in the mornings and 40.67 km in the evenings. It’s important to remember that these congestion lengths are calculated using data from both main thoroughfares and their connecting roads.

While the overall picture shows improvement, there’s a slight increase in non-peak hour congestion on Mondays and Wednesdays, rising by 25% and 21% respectively, since the Yellow Line began operations. Mr. Byakod encouraged more commuters to utilize the metro, emphasizing that BMRCL plans to introduce additional train sets, which will further enhance service frequency and capacity.

The long-awaited Yellow Line finally commenced public operations on August 11, following its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 10, after a four-year delay. Initially, services were restricted to just three trains, resulting in infrequent trips with intervals exceeding 25 minutes and causing noticeable crowding at stations. However, the situation improved on September 10 with the addition of a fourth train set, bringing down the waiting time to a more manageable 19 minutes.