Metro services disrupted thrice in last fortnight alone, inconveniencing commuters
At a time when commuters are facing hardships, metro officials are claiming that the problem will be resolved in a month
PUNE: Pune metro services are facing repeated power- and technical- failure issues for quite some time now. So much so that metro services had to be suspended thrice in the past fortnight alone. At a time when commuters are facing hardships, metro officials are claiming that the problem will be resolved in a month.
Shravan Hardikar, managing director, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro), said, “We need three receiving sub-stations to balance the load, and supply continuous power to the Pune metro. Work on two out of the three receiving sub-stations has been completed namely, the one under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the one at Ganeshkhind. The third is at Vanaz and will be completed in one to three months’ time.”
“We are working on switching loads automatically. Currently, we are switching loads manually. Once we complete and implement the automatic switchover load system in a month, there will be no disruption,” Hardikar said.
Recently in the morning on Friday, power supply was cut and metro services on the Vanaz to Ruby Hall Clinic route ground to a halt at 10.30 am, inconveniencing commuters. Passengers were puzzled as the metro remained motionless for 25 minutes. The services resumed only at 10.52 am. No official information was communicated to the commuters regarding the technical issue behind the abrupt closure. Before that on Wednesday, a technical failure was reported and passengers crowded the metro doors only to find them unresponsive. After considerable delay, the metro continued its journey without its doors opening. Earlier on Tuesday, metro services on the Ruby Hall to Vanaz route were disrupted for nearly half-an-hour at the Nal Stop metro station allegedly due to a bird striking an overhead cable.
According to the Maha Metro however, its website states as of October 17, 2022, that the power supply work to run the metro on the entire 33.2 km route has been completed and that the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has taken power from three grids for continuous supply. Power supply has been taken from the Chinchwad grid for the receiving sub-station at Pimpri-Chinchwad; from the Ganeshkhind grid for the receiving sub-station at Range Hill; and from the Parvati grid for the receiving sub-station at Vanaz. For this purpose, five to six km long 133kV power cables have been laid using the latest technology so that even if there is technical failure in one grid, it would be possible to continue metro services by providing electricity from another grid. On August 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the extended metro service from Pimpri-Chinchwad to Civil Court and Vanaz to Ruby Hall Clinic. However in the last three months, metro services have been suspended at least four times.
Instances of metro disruption
On October 3, metro services on the Vanaz to Ruby Hall route ground to a halt for 21 minutes because of an alleged bird hit.
On October 4, the metro ground to a halt at the Nal Stop station and the train doors were left open for longer than usual.
On October 13, there was a power cut and the metro service on the Vanaj to Ruby Hall Clinic route came to a halt at around 10.30am.
At around 5.30 pm on October 14, metro services on the Vanaz to Ruby Hall Clinic route ground to a halt for 20 minutes.
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