Glitch grounds Namma Metro on Green line for two hours

Commuters wait for 45 mins on platform at JP Nagar station

 A technical glitch grounded Metro trains on Green line with the authorities suspending operations between Yelachenahalli and RV Road stations for nearly two hours on Sunday.

With the frequency of trains being 15 minutes on Sunday, hundreds of commuters had bought tokens for their journey. The hiccup started at Yelachenahalli station when the train did not move from the station.

Passengers had to wait for over half-an-hour before they realised that the operations have been suspended. Metro staff then refunded their tickets and let them out of the station.

Commuters at JP Nagar, Banashankari and RV Road stations had a tough time as many were made to wait for about 45 minutes on the platform before they got the refund.

Anand M S, a commuter, complained that he was not allowed to exit JP Nagar Metro station though there were no trains. “Green Line is down and they won’t let you exit the station to find another way to travel. Had to pay for another trip to get out of the station,” he tweeted.

At the RV Road station, most of the commuters were furious that tokens were issued even when the trains were not running.

Those who came out of the station had to book cabs as there were hardly any autos available.

Signal problem

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) spokesperson U A Vasant Rao said the trains were stalled due to a problem in the signalling system.

“Train service were interrupted between Yelachenahalli and JP Nagar since 2 pm. May resume by 3.30 pm,” he said, adding that Metro services were available from National College towards Kempegowda station.

Namma Metro’s North-South (Green) as well as East-West (Purple) lines have suffered multiple technical problems in the recent months. BMRCL officials described the problems as ‘initial’ hiccups in handling the entire Phase 1 network and the increase in ridership.

The BMRCL has to fix the technical problems if it has to prove reliable for commuters. The total ridership of Metro has stayed above 3 lakh during the weekdays and is expected to rise further.