‘Technical glitches’ on Delhi Metro's yellow, blue lines lead to delayed trains

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Thursday said train services were not available on the Yellow Line stretch between Sikanderpur and Huda City Centre from 2.30pm to 3.30pm due to an “intermittent signalling issue”, while the Blue line services were running slow due to cable theft at Dwarka Sector 9.

“Technical glitches” delayed Delhi Metro services on the Yellow Line, connecting Huda City Centre and Samaypur Badli, and the Blue Line, running between Dwarka sector-21 and Noida Electronic City, adding on to the long lines outside stations along both stretches.

The DMRC on Thursday said that after resuming services from June 7, following the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi Metro has been running “almost empty trains” as they are only allowed to carry 10-15% of its passenger capacity. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday said train services were not available on the Yellow Line stretch between Sikanderpur and Huda City Centre from 2.30pm to 3.30pm due to an “intermittent signalling issue”, while the Blue line services were running slow due to cable theft at Dwarka Sector 9.

“The rest of the Yellow Line was running normal throughout this period and services were also restored on the affected section from 3.30pm onwards,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.

While metro services remained suspended for an hour on the Yellow line stretch, commuters posted pictures of long queues and crowds swelling outside stations.

“We have been waiting to get inside the station for the last 30 minutes. After the reopening, the wait outside stations has anyway increased and now these technical glitches are only adding to commuter woes,” said Pradip Kumar, a commuter at Huda City Centre.

Blue line services were affected between Dwarka Sector 9 and Dwarka Sector 21 station. “Due to a cable theft issue at Dwarka sector-9, trains were running slow between Dwarka sector-9 and Dwarka sector-21,” a Metro spokesperson said on Thursday.

The cascading effect of the delays was also seen outside stations such as Dwarka, Dwarka Mor, Nawada, Janakpuri (east and west), Uttam Nagar (east and west), Rajouri Garden and Tilak Nagar.

Meanwhile, DMRC on Thursday said that after resuming services from June 7, following the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi Metro has been running “almost empty trains” as they are only allowed to carry 10-15% of its passenger capacity.

Blaming the restrictions for causing inevitable crowding outside stations, Metro said that the passenger load on the network too has increased since resumption of most economic activities in the city.

“DMRC regrets the inconvenience caused to its passengers due to these restrictions. While appreciating the patience and cooperation exhibited by the passengers in such scenario, DMRC hopes that the situation will improve once the restrictions are relaxed by authorities,” said Dayal.