Bengaluru Metro Passenger Announcement System Upgrade

Bengaluru Metro – About the Customer

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), also known as Namma Metro, operates India’s second-longest metro network with over 760,000 daily passengers. The system includes 68 stations and plays a vital role in reducing carbon emissions in the city.

HEINRICH India, a leading provider of rail audio solutions, together with Larsen & Toubro, was awarded the project to deliver an energy-efficient, high-availability Passenger Announcement System (PAS). The solution had to provide dependable operations, high system availability, and lower environmental impact.

Zenitel’s proven PAS hardware had already been deployed on other metro lines in Bengaluru. Building on this reputation, the new system covers 27 stations and three depots, ensuring clear and intelligible announcements for one of the busiest metro services in India.

PAS Requirements for Metro Operations

The requirement was to modernise and unify the PAS across 27 stations and depots, ensuring reliable service for at least 15 years. The system needed to be highly available, resilient to power disruptions, and energy efficient to reduce operational costs.

As Namma Metro expands, scalability was also key. The new system had to support seamless integration of future stations and lines. Sustainability was a major factor, reflecting BMRCL’s commitment to minimising environmental impact.

Zenitel PAS Solution for Bengaluru Metro

HEINRICH deployed a state-of-the-art Zenitel five-zone system at each station. This included:

• VIPEDIA-12-NET: a compact, IP-enabled platform providing cost-effective, high-reliability operation with built-in redundancy.
• V2000 power amplifiers: two mainframes per station with hot-swappable 500W amplifier cards and intelligent sleep technology for reduced power consumption.
• MPS01 paging microphones: enabling live or recorded announcements, background music, and zonal control.

At the depots, the same setup was extended to ensure consistency across the network. Centralised control and monitoring were delivered through the HEINRICH Control Suite, integrated with Zenitel’s VIPA-API — an interface trusted worldwide to manage hundreds of stations efficiently.

Safety and Compliance

The PAS was designed and implemented to meet EN 54 certification, ensuring compliance with European fire safety standards. This guarantees that the system is not only reliable in day-to-day operations but also performs during emergency situations.