Even as the Commonwealth Games opened on Sunday, the Delhi Metro’s Central Secretariat-Badarpur Line was saddled with technical glitches and teething problems on its inaugural day. .
Both commuters and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) staff were caught unawares even as minor problems encumbered smooth operations of the new Metro line, on a balmy Sunday morning.
The line, that has, for now, been opened till Sarita Vihar, developed technical snags after just two runs. Commuters were, thereafter, asked to deboard the coaches.
Technical snags from the start
Just after the trains made their initial run around 8 a.m., a technical malfunction halted them in their tracks. “We faced a technical glitch near the Sarita Vihar line. That’s why the trains could ply only till Nehru Place,” said DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal.
Commuters had a harrowing time due to this problem till late in the afternoon. “I had bought a token till Sarita Vihar but they told me to get down at Nehru Place. There are no buses plying and I don’t how I will get to Sarita Vihar,” said Anish Verma, an electrician.
Trains kept stopping abruptly, sometimes for as long as 10 minutes. “There were a few teething problems but services were smoother by the evening,” said a senior DMRC official, on condition of anonymity, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Not just this, Metro officials kept changing platforms, forcing people to rush around at the last moment. Even train operators were unclear about the platforms.
“We are waiting for orders to decide which platform is the stoppage on,” said a train operator at Nehru Place.
Zero cellphone connectivity
Commuters on the line were bereft of cellphone connectivity as soon as the metro touched the underground stretch of the Badarpur Line. “As we are still finishing construction work, cellphone service providers have not been assigned rooms to install equipment to keep up connectivity underground. This problem would be resolved as soon as possible,” said an official.
Construction work still in progress
Construction work is still on at the elevated stretch of the corridor. The work is likely to be completed by the end of the week.
Zero cellphone connectivity
Commuters on the line were bereft of cellphone connectivity as soon as the metro touched the underground stretch of the Badarpur Line. “As we are still finishing construction work, cellphone service providers have not been assigned rooms to install equipment to keep up connectivity underground. This problem would be resolved as soon as possible,” said an official.
Construction work still in progress
Construction work is still on at the elevated stretch of the corridor. The work is likely to be completed by the end of the week.