BENGALURU: Just two days after a major technical glitch caused huge inconvenience to commuters on Namma Metro’s Purple Line, a snag hit the same line again on Thursday evening as doors malfunctioned, stalling the train near the Cubbon Park Metro Station.
Commuters said the problem originated near the Cubbon Park station, where the train reportedly developed a door malfunction.
Passengers travelling in the affected train said they remained stranded for over 20 minutes, including inside a tunnel, while train doors repeatedly opened and closed.
The disruption on Tuesday was because of a fault in the third rail system.
We waited 30 mins for Metro trains: Passengers
A commuter who was inside the train told TNIE that services towards Challaghatta were disrupted around 7.40 pm, with trains running behind schedule and several stations witnessing heavy crowds. Passengers at the Vidhana Soudha station said they waited for over 30 minutes for trains, while an empty Challaghatta-bound train arrived but the doors did not open.
A commuter said passengers were made to alight at the Cubbon Park station. Drivers of subsequent trains reportedly informed the commuter, who spoke to TNIE, that the disruption was caused because the doors of the earlier train were neither opening nor closing properly. “The earlier train had a problem with its doors, so all passengers had to be deboarded,” the commuter quoted a train operator as saying.
The drivers also reportedly said that train services were being operated at reduced speeds as a precaution following recent technical issues and because trains were carrying exceptionally heavy passenger loads.
The delays led to severe overcrowding, especially at Majestic, Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park Metro stations, with many commuters unable to board packed trains. Some passengers, still apprehensive following the previous third rail incident, chose to leave stations without travelling.
Consequently, announcements of delayed services were made at the Vijayanagar Metro station, which led passengers to deboard as they did not want to risk getting stuck. Hearing the announcements, many others left the stations.
Passengers alleged that the Metro staff did not provide adequate information regarding the disruption and prevented commuters from taking photographs and videos, further fuelling anxiety.
Underplaying the disruption, an official said it was ‘just’ a door opening and closing issue and not any technical glitch.
In an official statement, BMRCL said, “As informed by the Operations Team, a temporary delay in Metro train services occurred on the Purple Line due to a technical issue wherein the doors of one train at Cubbon Park Metro Station did not close properly.”
BMRCL stated that as a precautionary safety measure, commuters were safely deboarded at the Cubbon Park Metro Station. This safety procedure took approximately 17 minutes to complete, resulting in a temporary delay to subsequent five train services. The technical issue was promptly rectified by the Operations and Maintenance teams, it added.