A power trip on Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line left thousands of commuters stranded for over three hours on Sunday, with many stations witnessing stampede-like situations due to the extra rush on Raksha Bandhan.
As operations abruptly halted between the Chhatarpur and HUDA City Centre stations, passengers had to be deboarded from four trains along the corridor, and were forced to walk to the nearest stations on the elevated tracks.
The situation was made worse by the lack of communication on Metro’s part. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has no presence on social media to provide live updates.
“Train services on Line-2 (Yellow Line) between Chhatarpur & HUDA City Centre section were affected today from 9.55 AM to 12.40 PM due to problem in overhead wires leading to tripping of power supply on this section. As a result, passengers from four trains, at Guru Dronacharya, Sikanderpur, IFFCO Chowk had to be deboarded,” DMRC said in a statement.
The snag had a cascading effect across the Yellow Line. DMRC remained tightlipped on passengers having to walk on tracks. However, videos posted on social media by several Metro commuters revealed the extent of the crisis.
The crowd from the stations spilled on to the streets in places like Qutub Minar and Chhatarpur.
“Stampede waiting to happen at Chhatarpur metro station. Is there any plan to handle such crowds on holidays?” a commuter posted. Another wrote: “PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) please see the condition at MG Road station. DMRC is sleeping. No clue why metro is not running. DMRC is not responding.”
Over the years, Raksha Bandhan riderships have touched newer highs, prompting DMRC to make special arrangements to handle the rush.
On Sunday, the Delhi Metro had planned 589 extra trips across its corridors, and had also deployed customer facilitation agents to act as guides. The affected location was identified at 12:00 pm, the repair was done within 15 minutes and OHE supply to the affected section was restored at 12.15 pm and gradually the normal services were resumed at 12.40 pm,” the statement added.
“Train services on Line-2 (Yellow Line) between Chhatarpur and HUDA City Centre section were affected today from 9.55 am to 12.40 pm due to problem in overhead wires leading to tripping of power supply in this section. As a result, passengers from four trains, at Guru Dronacharya, Sikanderpur and IFFCO Chowk had to be deboarded,” Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said in a statement.