Peak hour rush hit by scanner breakdown at Pune Railway metro station

The disruption led to frustration among office-goers and daily commuters, many of whom expressed displeasure over the inconvenience caused

Wednesday morning saw long queues at the entrance of Pune Railway metro station and delays in passenger movement after the baggage screening system temporarily stopped functioning, forcing security personnel to regulate entry amid the peak hour rush. The disruption led to frustration among office-goers and daily commuters, many of whom expressed displeasure over the inconvenience caused and the lack of timely communication at the station.

Several passengers alleged that the delay was compounded by the behaviour of some of the security personnel. (HT)

Several passengers alleged that the delay was compounded by the behaviour of some of the security personnel. Vikas K, a commuter travelling through the station, said, “Disappointed with the experience at Pune Railway metro station. The luggage checking system is not working and instead of helping passengers, the security guard is speaking arrogantly”.

Another passenger, Shailesh Kshirsagar, said, “The queue kept getting longer every minute and many people were worried about reaching office on time. Such technical issues should be addressed immediately, especially during peak hours”.

Responding to the incident, Chandrashekhar Tambavekar, AGM (administration and public relations), Pune Metro, said that the baggage scanner temporarily shut down due to overheating. “The machine got overheated and as a precautionary measure, it was shut down for around 10 minutes. After the system cooled off, it was restarted and normal operations resumed. The inconvenience caused to passengers is regretted,” he said.

Meanwhile, metro services continued to operate normally throughout the disruption, and entry into the station returned to normal once the baggage screening system was restored. The brief disruption, however, highlighted the importance of ensuring uninterrupted functioning of passenger screening equipment during rush hours to avoid congestion and inconvenience to commuters.