Taken for a ride, feel commuters

The eagerly anticipated launch of the Gurgaon-Central Secretariat Metro line generated a mixed response on Friday. Hundreds of commuters, many of who were on a joyride, complained of technical glitches due to which the dream run of the Delhi Metro was marred. Subhendu Ray reports. Metro: The complete picture

The eagerly anticipated launch of the Gurgaon-Central Secretariat Metro line generated a mixed response on Friday. Hundreds of commuters, many of who were on a joyride, complained of technical glitches due to which the dream run of the Delhi Metro was marred.

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"It was a ride of delay and discomfort," complained an irate Sashi Kumar, who had boarded the train from Jor Bagh to HUDA City Centre along with his friends.

The Metro first halted for around 10 minutes at Udyog Bhawan, from where the inaugural train was flagged off by Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy amid much fanfare a little after 1 pm.

A pre-recorded message pacified fuming passengers: "There will be a short delay in service."

The inaugural train again halted at Saket for over 20 minutes. Another announcement echoed: "A technical fault has occurred in the train and those who are in a hurry may de-board the train and proceed through other means."

Commuters were forced to come out of the train and they gathered near the operator’s cabin to inquire about the delay.

Another major problem, which people faced, was the lack of mobile network coverage in the entire corridor, even on the stations.

A passenger said: "If Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is not prepared to run the trains efficiently, they should have taken some more time to open the line."

Anuj Dyal, spokesperson of DMRC, however, termed the bloopers as initial glitches. "The entire system will be normalised within a month." Amid all this chaos, many first timers enjoyed the ride and termed the Metro as the ‘smartest mode of transport’. Divya Chopra, who is pursuing higher studies in Elementary Education at an institute at Hauz Khas, was very excited. DMRC registered a footfall of 32,000 on the Udyog Bhawan to Saket stretch till 8 p.m. which includes maximum commuters at Green Park (2700) and second highest at AIIMS (2200).