Bengaluru, Thursday, February 5: As Namma Metro undertakes a major expansion while placing passenger safety at the core of its growth plans, advanced elevator and escalator technologies are playing an increasingly important role in ensuring safe and seamless commuter movement, with around 500 elevators and nearly 1,000 escalators set to be deployed across the 78 km expansion, said Sumit Bhatnagar, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) official said on Thursday.
Representing Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), Sumit Bhatnagar speaking at The 2nd Smart Lift & Mobility World 2026 in Benguluru, said the metro network, which currently spans about 96 km with 83 stations, will expand to nearly 175 km with around 127 stations over the next two years.
Addressing a stakeholders’ meet, Bhatnagar said the scale of expansion will significantly increase vertical mobility requirements across stations, particularly at major interchange hubs and high-footfall locations.
“As the network grows, the need for elevators, escalators and travelators will rise sharply. In the next phase, we will be operating an inventory of around 500 elevators and close to 1,000 escalators, along with travelators at select stations to improve passenger movement,” he said.
Namma Metro’s expansion is not just about adding new corridors, it’s about managing passenger movement at an entirely new scale. The deployment of 500 elevators and nearly 1,000 escalators by BMRCL in the upcoming metro network reflects how integral elevators and escalators have become to the everyday commuter experience,” said Anitha Raghunath, Co-Founder & Director, Virgo Communications & Exhibitions
He noted that nearly 78 km of metro corridors are currently under construction across Bengaluru, underlining the pace at which the system is expanding. With daily ridership touching around one million, efficient movement of commuters within stations has become as important as train operations, he added.
Bhatnagar also highlighted the increasing focus on Make in India in metro infrastructure. He said that while elevators and escalators were largely imported in the early years of metro construction, current projects emphasise localisation, in line with government norms requiring at least 60 per cent local content.
“Local manufacturing is essential not just to meet policy requirements, but also to remain cost-competitive, given the large volumes involved in metro procurement,” he said.
He further pointed out that all new procurements now include long-term maintenance contracts, typically spanning five to ten years, ensuring sustained performance and reliability of vertical mobility systems.
Bhatnagar said forums such as the Smart Lift and Mobility World help bring together metro operators and manufacturers at a time when Indian cities are witnessing rapid transit expansion.
Following his address, the organisers invited Dr H.R. Shivkumar, Secretary of Karnataka RERA, as Guest of Honour to speak on building a future-ready real estate ecosystem with a focus on regulation and governance.