New Delhi : Thousands of commuters were affected Wednesday evening as a technical snag hit Delhi Metro’s Blue Line (Dwarka to Noida City Centre/Vaishali) causing the trains to run slow and halt for several minutes at many stations resulting in overcrowding, officials said.
“Due to the snapping of a strand of the overhead electrical wire between Dwarka and Dwarka Morh station, single line operation is on between Dwarka and Janakpuri west while a short loop is running between Janakpuri west and Rajiv Chowk,” said an official of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
It said normalcy will be restored as soon as the wire is repaired.
The fault led to chaos at many stations along the route – one of the busiest in the capital – that links Dwarka on the western edge of Delhi with Noida and Vaishali in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
According to many stuck commuters, the trains were stopping at each station for close to 20 minutes and many passengers got off and took auto-rickshaws and taxis whose drivers added to their woes by fleecing them.
“I took the metro from Noida sector 18 and after one and a half hours I have only managed to reach Rajiv Chowk. I am getting off and taking an auto,” said Rupali Singh, a 24-year-old professional.
Buses – both private and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) – were running packed to capacity as stranded commuters latched on to them, not willing to be left at the mercy of overcharging autos and taxis.
“I intended to travel to Patel Nagar (west Delhi) from Pragati Maidan (central Delhi) and the auto driver wanted me to cough up Rs.400 for the short trip. So, I had no option but to take the bus which is already bursting at the seams,” said Rajiv Kelkar, a 38-year-old businessman.