A technical snag disrupted services on the Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line leaving thousands of commuters stranded near the Chhatarpur station on Tuesday.
The glitch occurred at 9.30 a.m. and lasted for four hours. It was due to a breakdown of the overhead wire (OHE) that led to the tripping of power supply in the section, a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation spokesperson said.
Due to the tripping, two metro trains that were in between Sultanpur and Qutub Minar went “immobile” and services on the section were temporarily halted. Normal services were restored around 1.30 p.m., the spokesperson said.
Over 5,000 passengers were evacuated from the two trains and taken to the nearest metro stations at Qutub Minar and Chhatarpur respectively.
NEW DELHI, 21/05/2019: DMRC technicians rectify the overhear wire on the Yellow line of the Delhi Metro, services were hit around 9.32 am due to breakdown of the overhead wire, leading to tripping of power supply in the section. Photo: Special Arrangement
Capital-Gurugram link
The corridor, running between Samaypur Badli and HUDA City Centre, is the Capital’s link to Gurugram via the metro network.
Several commuters took to Twitter to complain about the delay. “Stranded for the last three hours due to technical snag on yellow line. No cabs available, took e-rickshaw, shared auto and bus to reach Qutub Minar where people ae stranded [and] walking on the roads; autos asking for ₹200 per person for 3-4 kilometres,” said Sangeeta Yadav in a tweet.
Short-loop services
“To ensure uninterrupted services on the rest of the sections of the Yellow Line, the DMRC introduced short-loop services between Samaypur Badli and Qutub Minar at a frequency of around 2 minutes. Similar short-loop services were provided between Sultanpur and HUDA City Centre section at a frequency of around 6 minutes,” the spokesperson said. “Two maintenance teams of DMRC technicians consisting of 16 officials reached the affected site of OHE and took up the repair work,” the DMRC said.
Feeder buses between Sultanpur and Qutub Minar were operated to help the stranded passengers. “Twenty-nine buses were introduced to bridge this gap and provide connectivity to the commuters between the affected section,” the spokesperson added.
Many commuters travelling on Tuesday late evening complained that trains going towards HUDA City Centre were still running slow.
