Thousands suffer as tech snag hits Metro

Stranded on tracks

Thousands of commuters here had to spend hours stranded on Thursday as the Metro service almost came to standstill on the Dwarka-Noida-Vaishali line (Blue Line) due to a technical snag in the signalling system.

The commuters indeed were up for a double whammy as they were already reeling under the traffic restrictions for the BRICS Summit under way in the city. It prompted many to take the Metro, but the decision backfired, as Metro services were hit since 8:30 am to well past noon.

“Train services on Dwarka Sector-21 to NOIDA City Centre and Yamuna Bank to Vaishali were affected for a few hours due to track circuit (signaling) failure near Pragati Maidan Metro station. Due to this, Metro trains going towards Dwarka from NOIDA City Centre and Vaishali side moved on a restricted speed of upto 25 km per hour between Pragati Maidan and Mandi House section from 8:45 am to 2:12 pm,” said Anuj Dayal, chief spokesperson of Delhi Metro.

While the Metro officials said trains operated at a frequency of 12 minutes, commuters complained that they were left stranded in the trains and stations for much longer.

“I boarded the train from Mayur Vihar Extension at around 10 am and reached Connaught Place only by the quarter to 12. The trains were hardly moving. They kept standing midway. We had no other option than to keep waiting,” said Swati Khanna, a resident of Vasundhra Enclave.

Stuck in the morning hour rush, commuters fumed that Delhi Metro could well have informed them  about the technical problem.

“The Delhi Metro boasts of having the latest technologies. If there was a technical problem, Metro officials could have informed the commuters while they were entering the stations. It took me 45 minutes to travel between two stations – Mayur Vihar-1 to Akshardham,” said Dipak Mondal, a banker working in Connaught Place.

The Metro service has been disrupted on the Blue Line even in the past. Having tasted the result of such technical snags, the wiser ones chose to detrain and reached their destinations by other means.