A technical snag at the Rajajinagar Metro station caused inconvenience to thousands of commuters on the green line on Tuesday. Train services between Yeshwantpur station and Mantri Square - Sampige Road station were cut off after the rear wheel mechanism of a Road cum Rail Vehicle (RRV) got jammed at Rajajinagar metro station.
“The RRV after depot testing, was under mandatory trials from Peenya depot to National College Metro Station at the curve locations during non-operational hours. During the trials at Rajajinagar, the rear wheel mechanism, which is a combination for road and rail, got jammed and could not be retrieved even with the help of the other RRV,” said B.L. Yashwanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer, BMRCL.
This snag left many passengers stranded at Yeshwantpur and Mantri Square - Sampige Road metro stations, especially in the peak hours in the morning.
“I take the metro from Jalahalli to my office near Cubbon Park metro station. But after reaching the station and realising that metro services have been disrupted, I had to go home and take my car out and I got stuck in traffic in Yeshwantpur where I could see so many passengers standing cluelessly near the metro station,” said Saurabh S., a resident of Jalahalli.
“Today was my worst experience travelling in metro as the train stopped at Yeshwantpur metro station and started moving in the reverse direction. No announcement was made to instruct the passengers to get down and go to the other platform. It was total chaos,” said Probal Ray, a X (formerly Twitter) user.
BMRCL continued running single line operations from 6.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to avoid inconvenience to the commuters, but huge crowds gathered at the metro stations as the frequency of trains was affected. The BMTC also ran extra buses between Yeshwantpur metro station and Majestic to help commuters amidst the disruptions on the green line.
There was also confusion at the metro stations as passengers who were issued tickets to destinations which were not accessible were being offered refunds. With no clear communication from the officials, commuters expressed their frustration. Kiran, a tourist at Mantri Square - Sampige Road metro station, said that he felt lost when his trip was unexpectedly interrupted. “I am not familiar with the metro system or stops. Getting a ticket and then being told it won’t go to Yeshwantpur was confusing,” he said.
Narshimha Moorthy, travelling from Majestic to Nagasandra, expressed frustration alleging indifference from metro officials at the Mantri Square -Sampige Road station. “They sit comfortably while security personnel try to help. When we ask questions, they don’t have answers,” he lamented.
Services resumed at 3.40 p.m. after the RRV was lifted off the track with the help of a crane. “After curtailing the operations between Yeshwantpur to Mantri Square Sampige Road metro station at 2 p.m., the RRV was lifted from the track with the help of the crane to clear the section and normalcy of train operations was restored at 3.40 p.m.,” Mr Chavan said.
(With inputs from Vishal V.P.)
