Services on Delhi Metro's Blue Line briefly disrupted, restored

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Delhi Metro commuters faced a tough time Tuesday morning as a snag hit services on the Blue Line from Dwarka Sector-21 to Noida City Centre/Vaishali, causing trains to run slow and halt for long at many stations, resulting in overcrowding, an official said. The problem was rectified after more than one hour.

A fault that occurred in the overhead electrical (OHE) wires at 10.20 a.m. was rectified at 11.55 a.m. according to a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official.

"Train services on line-three (Blue Line) are affected since 10.20 a.m. due to a problem in the OHE. Trains on this line are running in two loops from Kirti Nagar to Dwarka and Subhash Nagar to Noida/Vaishali," a Delhi Metro official said.

He added that single line service was available between Kirti Nagar and Subhash Nagar stations.

However, train services continued to be slow with halts of around 20 minutes at each station, which the official attributed to "some bunching effect".

"I was stuck inside the Metro at the Yamuna Bank station for more than one hour. However, trains on the opposite side were plying," a Metro user said.

"Announcements were also being made at Noida Sector-15 station suggesting those commuters in hurry to opt for other means of transportation," another user added.

The fault led to chaos at many stations along the route.

According to commuters, due to the snag which occurred during peak hours, many passengers got off mid-way.

Vandita Jain, 19, travelling from Rohini to Jhandewalan told IANS: "The train stopped for close to 20 minutes at Rajiv Chowk and it was overflowing with people. Though I had to go to Jhandewalan, I decided to take an auto instead as I was getting late for work."

Another user, Bhavika Singh who boarded the Metro from Patel Nagar said that the station was teeming people.

"Due to the crowd, there was no ladies coach on the train I travelled. It was merged with the general compartment," she said.