Commuters on Kolkata's Blue Line metro experienced significant disruptions on Tuesday morning. A sudden power failure between Rabindra Sadan and Netaji Bhavan stations forced the suspension of services between Tollygunge and Maidan during the busy rush hours.
Train Reversed to Safety in Tunnel
The north-bound train encountered the power trip at a specific point. It halted between the two stations. Metro authorities decided to reverse the train to Netaji Bhavan station in Bhowanipore. This action prevented passengers from having to walk through the tunnel.
Metro Railway issued a detailed statement about the incident. The first pilot service with passengers started from Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station as usual at 6.55am, they explained. After crossing Netaji Bhavan, the crew experienced obstructions that caused the train to stop in the tunnel section. Following a quick technical assessment, we reversed the train to Netaji Bhavan station for safety. Passengers waited at the station during this process.
Extended Service Disruption and Technical Adjustments
The statement further clarified the operational challenges. We will analyze the reason for this incident tonight after commercial hours, Metro Railway noted. Due to this incident, bunching of trains occurred. We needed to adjust timings and control train movements accordingly.
Truncated services operated between Maidan and Dakshineswar, as well as between Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Shahid Khudiram stations. The tunnel section uses a third rail system for current. Proper shutdown procedures were essential to ensure the safety of technical staff and allow their movement.
This caused a turnaround time between 7.13am and 8.46am, significantly impacting the morning schedule.
Recent History of Glitches on Blue Line
This disruption follows another incident just last Monday morning. A glitch crippled metro services on the Blue Line's Shahid Khudiram to Dakshineswar corridor around 7.30am. That earlier problem inconvenienced many schoolchildren and office goers.
The scene on Tuesday was even more severe. A longer stretch of the line remained out of service for a longer duration. Services from Maidan to Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations were stalled for nearly one-and-a-half hours. Truncated runs were only available in the other sections mentioned.
Commuters Share Their Ordeal
Passengers faced considerable hardship. Badal Mahipal, who works in the Baranagar area, described his experience. I reached JD Park station at 7.40am and discovered no trains were available till Maidan, he said. I waited at the station for 10 minutes, hoping services would resume. Finally, I took a bus to Maidan to board a train to my workplace.
Putul Dasgupta, a resident of Kudghat, faced similar troubles. She was taking her daughter to school in Lenin Sarani. First, we took the metro from Netaji station at Kudghat to Tollygunge, she explained. The services were suspended beyond this point. There was no time to wait for a bus. I had to take an app cab and paid a high fare to reach Lenin Sarani.
The repeated technical issues on the Blue Line are causing growing concern among daily commuters. They rely on the metro for punctual travel during crucial morning hours.
