New Delhi, Nov 09: Metro services were affected on Sunday afternoon after one of the trains developed a technical snag. There was no train for an hour and a half, leading to huge crowds at three stations — Rajiv Chowk, Rajouri Garden and Kashmere Gate.
The affected train, which had suffered an Auxiliary Power System Failure, was running between Yamuna Bank and Dwarka Sector 9 (Line 3). At 3.15 pm, it stalled midway between Rajiv Chowk and RK Ashram Marg, jamming the lines and operations had to be shut down. “It was one of the new trains manufactured by Bombardier,” said DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal.
Rescue operations were hampered, as ignoring the train operator’s instruction to remain calm, the passengers forcefully opened the emergency exits and proceeded to walk towards the stations on both sides.
“People began walking towards Rajiv Chowk and R K Ashram Marg,” Dayal said. There were reports of a stampede too, in which a few persons suffered minor injuries. “This severely hampered the rescue operation as the rescue train could not move from Rajiv Chowk till the track was fully cleared of passengers,” Dayal said.
“It was utter chaos inside the train. People got scared as the train did not move for over an hour. There was no power and children had started crying, Though there were announcements to remain calm, people could not wait,” said Rehan Kidwai, a resident of Lucknow , who was travelling in the Metro from Karol Bagh for the first time.
The Metro officials said at 3.42 pm, the next train had to be emptied of passengers, so it could be used to pick up the stranded ones. Only after the affected train was taken off the track, three short-loop train services provided connectivity between Dwarka Sector 9 and Karol Bagh stations. The line began operating after 5 pm.
But meanwhile, between 4.15 and 4.45 pm, the passenger build-up at three major stations had forced officials to shut entry gates. “At Rajiv Chowk, passengers had to be evacuated from the emergency exit,” an official said. Huge crowds were also reported from Rajouri Garden and Kashmere Gate stations.
The CISF spokesperson, Rohit Katiyar, said: “Quick Reaction Teams and additional off-duty personnel were rushed to these three stations.”
–Agencies