A human error caused a Delhi Metro train on Thursday to run with its doors open for a 2.7 kilometre stretch on the HUDA City Centre – Jahangirpuri Line. While there were no reports of injury to any passenger or damage to property, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has suspended the train operator and assistant line supervisor for negligence.
Around 9-40 a.m., the left side doors of a moving train travelling from Arjangarh to Ghitorni metro stations on the Gurgaon-Delhi line remained open. This caused confusion among commuters, who were later seen in Ghitorni walking towards the driver’s cabin to inquire about the issue.
According to DMRC Corporate Communications Executive Director Anuj Dayal, the train operator had not followed safety procedures after he detected a false signal that the rear cabin door was open. “At Sikanderpur station, the driver received a signal that the rear cab door was open which he found immediately to be a false signal. Due to this he was not able to drive the train and reported the matter to the Control Centre, which gave him clearance to bypass this signal,” he said.
Opting to bypass the signal meant that it disabled the automatic door safety mechanism, making opening and closing of doors a manual function to be carried out by the train operator. “At the next station at Guru Dronacharya, the train operator still experienced problems with the rear cab door but moved on to Arjangarh. However, he seems to have forgotten to close the doors at Arjangarh. He also did not follow the safety procedure of stepping out of the train to check if the doors were closed or check through his rear-view mirror,” said Mr. Dayal.
While the station controller was also supposed to be present in the event a train experiences even a minor snag, he was not present in this case, said a spokesperson. “Prima facie, it is an error by the train operator and he has been suspended with immediate effect,” said a DMRC statement.
Updates from our reporters:
Safety lapse on >#Delhi Metro, automatic doors left open on moving Metro train on Yellow Line. Train operator suspended >@DelhiConnect
— Sowmiya Ashok (@sowmiyashok) >July 17, 2014
"Prima facie, it is an error by the train operator. Matter under investigation,"- >#DelhiMetro denies any fault in train >@DelhiConnect .
— Sowmiya Ashok (@sowmiyashok) >July 17, 2014
Metro runs with doors open! That's a first!
— Smriti Kak (@smritikak) >July 17, 2014
