Thousands of passengers were stranded at Namma Metro stations on Wednesday morning after Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) officials found a ‘honeycomb formation’ in a concrete beam above the pier near Trinity Metro station during routine inspection, and decided to abandon the normal train schedule on the Purple Line as a precautionary measure.
Trains were operated on a single track between Baiyappanahalli and M.G. Road to carry out ‘maintenance' work at Trinity Circle between 5.30 a.m. and 8.15 a.m. Even after trains being operating on both tracks, normalcy was restored only around 10.20 a.m. The passenger pileup was cleared by operating additional loop trains.
Close to 19,000 people travel per hour during peak hours on the Purple Line between Baiyappanahalli and Mysuru Road. The BMRCL usually operates 75 trips during the morning peak hours. However, on Wednesday, it had to cancel nine round trips.
“During routine inspection on Tuesday night, officials noticed a honeycomb formation on a cross beam near Trinity Station. As the structure is already in use, there was need for a detailed plan of action. A raised steel platform had to be erected as support to carry out work. To facilitate the maintenance work and, as a matter of caution, trains were operated slower than the normal speed on the stretch of 260 metres between M.G. Road and Trinity Metro stations. This resulted in delayed frequency of services on the line,” Ajay Seth, MD, BMRCL told The Hindu.
When asked about safety of the structure, he maintained that there is no cause of concern and the affected portion is very small and will not affect the overall safety of the structure.
Speaking to mediapersons in Belagavi, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said he had instructed the BMRCL to stop services on the line in the interest of the general public. However, technical experts, after inspections, opined that trains could be operated by reducing the speed. The CM also said that he had instructed officials to double check before operating the trains.
Expect delays for 10 days
Mr. Seth said it will take at least 10 days to complete the maintenance work during which time, it may not be possible for the BMRCL to operate trains with the normal 3-minute frequency during peak hours. “This should not have happened. We seek co-operation from the public. For the safety of the entire system, we have to carry out the work,” he said.
Commuters clueless
Tempers rose as the BMRCL did not inform commuters about the delay in services or make any announcements at metro stations for those who were stranded.
Rohan S. Rao tweeted: “Waited for almost half an hour at Vijayanagar Metro Station from 7.35 a.m. There was no announcement or any message on the display board.”
Another commuter, Sagar Gopinath, said, “Thanks for causing distress to thousands by not making proper announcements. Hope some lessons learnt.”
14 loop trains operated
Delay in train services caused heavy rush at Majestic Metro Station, Vijayanagar, Mysuru Road and Magadi Road Stations. Hundreds of passengers were stranded on the platform at Majestic with people standing on the staircases.
To clear the rush, 14 loop trains were operated between Majestic and Baiyappanahalli.
Executive Director (operations and maintenance) A.S. Shankar said, “After 8.15 a.m., more loop trains were operated from Majestic towards Baiyappanahalli. Three trips of six-coach trains were also operated to clear the rush. Around 10.20 a.m., we managed to clear the rush at the stations on the line.”
Rumours cause panic
After Wednesday's development, social media was abuzz with rumours that a metro pillar on M.G. Road had been ‘twisted’, and urged people to avoid the road and metro through the route.
The BMRCL rubbished the rumours and assured citizens that the overall safety of the structure was not affected.
Operational since 2011
The Baiyappanahalli and M.G. Road was the first stretch under Phase I to become operational. The line was opened in October 2011.
In the initial years, up to 25,000 passengers were travelling on the 7-km stretch. The number of passengers gradually increased as the BMRCL commissioned operations on other stretches.
After the entire Phase I became operational, over 1.75 lakh people travel on the entire Purple Line. M.G. Road, Indiranagar, S.V. Road and Baiyappanahalli metro stations are among those with the highest footfalls.
