Hundreds of metro commuters on the Purple Line were inconvenienced for more than 30 minutes on Monday morning due to signalling failure. Metro staff had to evacuate 158 passengers with the help of a walkway from train number 21, close to Baiyappanahalli metro station.
The signalling failure occurred at 10.18 a.m. at the Baiyappanahalli entry point, as a result of which the train could not be received or dispatched from the station till 10.57 a.m. Three others trains were terminated, one at S.V. Road and two at Indiranagar metro stations. BMRCL was forced to cancel six round trips.
In a press release, BMRCL stated that the signalling system was manually reset and restored. Sixteen passengers, who had bought tokens at Baiyappanahalli, Indiranagar and Mysuru Road stations, were refunded a cumulative sum of Rs. 340.
Hundreds stranded at metro stations
The signalling failure had a domino effect on other stations as well. Passengers had to wait in long queues at the busy Majestic metro intersection as train schedules went haywire.
Disruptions in the service also tested the patience of passengers as metro staff failed to give convincing answers when asked when services would be restored. To clear the rush, the BMRCL operated three short loop trains from Indiranagar to Mysuru Road station.
At Majestic station, the platform was packed and people were even seen standing on the staircase.
One stranded passenger said, “One train was stopped for close to five minutes at the station, which usually does not happen. Passengers were losing patience, as they were running late for work.”
Many took to social media to air their grievances. One passenger posted, “Stuck at Baiyappanahalli metro station for thirty minutes. People are getting irritated. Arrange something for the waiting passengers.”
BMRCL MD Mahendra Jain said, “To clear the rush, loop metro trains were operated with short frequencies. We are thoroughly investigating the reason for the signal failure.”
