BENGALURU: Passengers on their morning ride in the stretch between Baiyappanahalli and MG Road suffered a jolt when they reached their stations only to learn that Metro trains were not running.
Trains did not run for 81 minutes from 7 am till 8.21 AM. This stretch covers the six stations of Baiyappanahalli, Swami Vivekananda Road, Indira Nagar, Halasuru, Trinity and MG Road stations.
It appears that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had made a miscalculation that the maintenance work undertaken post-midnight would be over before 7 am (the start time on Sundays) and hence did not intimate about non-operation of services in advance.
According to BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth, the planned maintenance work took longer than expected. "The maintenance activity including restoration of track and testing was expected to be taken up from 12.30 am (close of Metro service) and completed within 7 am (normal start time for Metro service on Sunday). However, it took longer and we could commence the service at 8.21 am," he said.
This is the first stretch of Metro in the city flagged off on October 20, 2011, and has been shut down a few times in the past for maintenance work.