New Delhi: A Metro train with over 300 passengers stopped inside a tunnel between Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat stations due to a technical fault this afternoon, disrupting the services on the busy Gurgaon Line for nearly an hour.
The passengers, including children and women, were stuck inside the train for around 45 minutes as it stopped on the tracks a few meters before the Central Secretariat station after it developed a technical snag.
"Prima facie, the fault occurred due to a problem in the internal braking communication system of the train as a result of which the special safety parking brakes were automatically applied by the train as per the safety design of
the train management system," DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal said.
The train was then coupled with a rescue train and brought to the Central Secretariat station where the passengers were deboarded. After coming out of the train, everyone had a different tale to tell.
The train was taken to Green Park siding for observation and the trainmaker Bombardier has been asked to investigate the matter.
"The Metro technical teams had to release the parking brakes by going below the undercarriage of the train after which the affected train was coupled with a rescue train and the passengers were deboarded at Central Secretariat," Dayal said.
He said train services were affected from 12.52 PM to 01.58 PM between Patel Chowk and Central Secretariat stations.
However, the services from Rajiv Chowk to Jahangirpuri and from Central Secretariat to HUDA City Centre remained normal. Single line operations were run between Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat.
Commuters spent anxious moments after they were stuck inside stationary trains across the city on the underground line.
Several passengers complained that they were not given any information regarding the problem.
Passengers at several stations, including Rajiv Chowk, were seen asking for refund of their tickets. It all started on Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre line
at around 12:50 pm after the train developed a technical fault.
"I was travelling from Chandni Chowk to Green Park. I was to deboard the train at Central Secretariat. But when the train approached the station it stopped. We got panicky and there were just announcements that there was a problem," Anoushka, a college student, said.
PTI
