BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): Given the growing passenger safety concern, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has taken a step ahead towards strengthening the safety of passengers by installing Platform Screen Doors PSDs at Bangalore Metro stations. This initiative will add an additional layer of protection for the commuters. BMRCL plans to equip all 191 stations with PSDs at a cost of ₹ 1,274 crore. However, 14 stations, including 12 underground stations on the Pink Line and 2 on the Blue Airport Line, already have provisions built into their budgets. The remaining 177 stations will undergo retrofitting throughout Phases 1, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, and 3A.
The massive ₹1,274-crore proposal to install Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) at rest 177 stations across its entire existing and upcoming network. The proposal was part of Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Phase-3A (Hebbal-Sarjapur), which was submitted to the Karnataka state government during the current state legislative assembly session. Moreover the doors are technically mandatory for driverless trains planned for upcoming corridors.half-height platform screen doors will be in elevated stations and underground stations will receive full-height platform screen doors, which also help reduce wind, noise, and optimize underground air conditioning efficiency.
Why Bangalore Metro is getting a Platform Screen Door upgrade
Over-Crowded platforms and High-Voltage risks
With daily ridership crossing 10 lakh (1 million) passengers, overcrowding has spiked safety risks in the Bangalore Metro. BMRCL highlighted alarming data from the past two years that triggered this urgency.
In 2024, 8 cases of unauthorized track access, 7 suicide deaths, 2 suicide attempts, and 2 accidental falls were reported. In comparison, 5 cases of unauthorized track access, 5 suicide deaths, 2 suicide attempts, 2 accidental falls, and 1 tragic electrocution incident were reported in the year 2025, which increases the urgency for platform screen doors in Bangalore Metro.
Mandatory for corridors, designed for GoA4 (driverless train operations)
Beyond immediate physical safety, these screen doors are technically mandatory for GoA4 (Unattended Train Operation), the fully automated, driverless train system planned for upcoming corridors.
Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) is the highest level of railway automation, where trains operate without any onboard staff or drivers. Starting, stopping, door operations, and emergency responses are fully managed by computerized signaling systems and central control rooms. Without physical platform doors for preventing track falls, driverless operations cannot legally or safely commence.
Smart doors, Smart revenue
To offset some of the massive capital costs, BMRCL plans to use the glass doors as premium advertising spaces for digital media displays to generate non-fare revenue. By equipping the glass doors with digital media displays, the metro aims to aggressively generate non-fare revenue, effectively turning a vital safety upgrade into a self-sustaining financial asset.
BMRCL has started technical talks with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to build the screen doors locally, to support ‘‘Make in India’’ goals. BEL has already developed indigenous platform gate systems in partnership with India’s regional rapid transit networks (NCRTC).
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