Cable theft hits train operations on Metro’s Blue Line

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said delays were occurring on the down line from Dwarka towards Noida Electronic City and Vaishali, with trains bunching up close to each other as they were being allowed to operate only at a maximum speed of 25 km/hr.

Train operations were hit on the Blue Line of the Delhi Metro on Tuesday for the entire duration of the services, after a suspected cable theft incident between the Indraprastha and Yamuna Bank stations led to a signalling problem, resulting in train movement being operated manually and at reduced speeds, Metro officials said.

A view of the Delhi Metro Blue Line.  (HT File Photo)

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said delays were occurring on the down line from Dwarka towards Noida Electronic City and Vaishali, with trains bunching up close to each other as they were being allowed to operate only at a maximum speed of 25 km/hr.

“This has resulted in track circuit drop (signalling issue) in this section restricting the trains to move in manual mode with limited speed of up to 25km/hr only. Because of this, there will be minor bunching of trains between these two stations,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications, DMRC.

DMRC said it needed access to the tracks for nearly three hours to fix the problem,and added that repairs will be taken up only at the end of revenue services on Tuesday night and in the early hours of Wednesday.

Unlike the over head equipment (OHE) cables, which carry a high electricity charge, the cables stolen on Tuesday were signalling cables which run at the base of the tracks. DMRC officials said, and added that this is the third such incident this year on the Blue Line, with the last incident being reported on May 17, 2022.

DMRC said while access to Metro tracks on the elevated corridor or across underground stations is difficult, the portion of the Blue Line from Yamuna Bank onwards Indraprastha is in a relatively open area. “It is possible thieves may have gained access from near the Yamuna floodplains and reached the tracks at night,” said an official.

Passengers said trains were halting at stations for up to 5 minutes each, delaying progress substantially.

Kapil Khurana, who was travelling from the Janakpuri stations towards Mandi House, said the train stopped at each station for 2-3 minutes longer than it normally does.

Prince Sabharwal, another commuter travelling on the Blue line in the morning, said a 20-minute journey normally, took him nearly an hour on the Vaishali to Dwarka Sector-21 route. “The train has been stopping regularly and the speed has been extremely slow,” he said.

DMRC said to keep the passengers informed, regular announcements were being made at all stations, including inside the trains on the Blue line. “The information has also been shared through social media,” Dayal added.

The Blue Line also faced two snags last month – both occurring after the OHE equipment was damaged. While services were delayed for over two hours on June 9, there was a delay of around one-and-a-half hour on June 6.

After multiple snags occurring on four different metro lines last month, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot had also sought an report on the matter. In its report, DMRC had stated that a majority of these incidents were due to external reasons, including bird hit incidents or external objects hitting the OHE.

“For this, we have already begun installing spikes in metro stations and spike discs along the insulators. The report submitted to the DMRC mentions the same,” DMRC’s MD, Vikar Kumar had said recently.