Namma Metro’s Purple Line was hit by two technical snags on Tuesday, which resulted in disruption of services for nearly 30 minutes in the morning, and for six minutes in the evening. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) blamed interruptions in power supply.
The disruption between 10.02 a.m. and 10.28 a.m. resulted in anxious moments for passengers travelling between Baiyappanahalli and Mysuru Road, as trains were stuck on the tracks. An official said that the delay resulted in a huge commuter rush at Majestic Intersection till 11 a.m.
The second disruption took place from 6.20 p.m. to 6.26 p.m. on the same line.
BMRCL Managing Director Mahendra Jain has instructed operational staff to revert to the old schedule, and not go by the new schedule, which had been announced on Monday. “Increased frequency of metro trains could result in overloading. Hence, I have asked that the previous schedule of operations be followed for a few days till we fix all technical issues.”
Mr. Jain added that engineers identified a fault with the relay switches and fixed it. “The train operators managed to drive the trains to the nearest station and doors were opened. Battery and AC were operational in the coaches, and regular announcements were being made to update passengers. No trains were stuck in any tunnel,” he said.
Dilip Belgumpi, a regular metro passenger, said, “On Tuesday evening, I was travelling from Indiranagar to Majestic. As we were heading towards Halasuru, the train jerked and stopped. I thought it happened because of the slope between the two stations. However, nobody panicked,” he said, adding that service resumed within six minutes.
BMRCL’s decision to revert to the old schedule has come as a disappointment to commuters. On January 1, the company had announced an increase in frequency during peak commuting hours from Tuesday to 3.5 minutes on the Purple Line and six minutes on the Green Line. The other announcement was about operating an additional 13 trips on both lines, but that, too, has been suspended.
