Bengaluru Metro revives pillar advertising, projected revenue up to ₹80 crore annually: Report

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. will resume advertising on metro pillars after seven years, potentially increasing annual revenue by ₹80 crore.

Published on: Sep 20, 2025, 11:53:14 IST

By HT News Desk

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After a seven-year hiatus, advertisements are set to return to metro pillars and infrastructure across Bengaluru, potentially boosting non-fare revenue for the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) by up to ₹80 crore annually.

The corporation has invited tenders to display ads on selected piers and portals. (PTI File)

The corporation has invited tenders to display ads on selected piers and portals across all operational corridors, the Purple, Green, and Yellow lines, as well as upcoming Pink and Blue lines, The Hindu reported.

The revival comes following the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), now Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), notifying advertisement bye-laws in July 2025 under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. The legislation grants BMRCL the right to display ads on its properties, including metro stations, pillars, and other infrastructure, while introducing a revenue-sharing clause for ads visible from BBMP-assigned zones.

(Also Read: ‘Hideous, horrible, shoddy’: Bengaluru beautification work backfires after Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, residents mock it )

Before the 2018 ban on outdoor advertisements, BMRCL reportedly earned around ₹10 crore annually from pillar ads alone. The sudden prohibition forced the corporation to explore alternative non-fare revenue streams, including train wraps, indoor station ads, retail space leasing, parking, ATMs, promotional kiosks, telecom infrastructure, EV charging stations, and film shoots.

Among its most lucrative ventures was leasing 13 acres near Nagasandra metro station to IKEA in 2017 for ₹251 crore under a 60-year agreement.

According to the publication, BMRCL officials said the new tendering process will allow advertisements to return to select metro structures for the first time since 2018. The projected revenue from these outdoor ads is estimated at ₹60– ₹80 crore annually, significantly enhancing BMRCL’s non-fare income.

In recent years, the corporation has also rolled out full-body advertisement wraps on trains along the Purple and Green lines, securing agreements worth ₹1.26 crore and ₹81.49 lakh, respectively.

The Fare Fixation Committee had previously highlighted the importance of diversifying income beyond fare collection; in 2023–24, BMRCL earned ₹50.05 crore from property-related income, just 8.72% of fare revenue of ₹573.91 crore.

(Also Read: Bengaluru ORR overhaul: What urgent fixes are coming to ease traffic congestion?)

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HT News Desk
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