Narrow escape for metro riders as metal barricade falls on train

NEW DELHI: Passengers of Delhi Metro had a miraculous escape when a metal barricade fell on a moving train on Violet Line on Thursday evening due to strong winds. The train came to a screeching halt, but luckily no one was harmed. However, train operations on the corridor were massively disrupted during the evening peak hours.

“The train was climbing from the underground Jangpura station to the elevated Lajpat Nagar station when there was a loud noise. The train came to a halt as one of the huge metal barricades along the tracks had fallen on it. People started panicking and there was absolute pandemonium inside the train,” said Mithun Vijayan, a commuter.

For about 20 minutes, the train remained stationary and there were no announcements. “Soon, two metro officials came and opened a door from the outside. They pulled up a small ladder and all passengers deboarded the train and walked towards Lajpat Nagar station. We were told that the metro will not operate now, so I walked out of the station to look for an autorickshaw,” Vijayan added.

A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said, “A portion of the railing on the ramp fell on the track going towards Faridabad around 4.05pm due to strong winds and rain. All passengers were safely taken to Lajpat Nagar platform. To remove the railing, overhead electrification had to be put off between Central Secretariat and Nehru Place section.”

With operations on this busy section closed, trains were run on two different loops — from Nehru Place to Escorts Mujesar and from Central Secretariat to Kashmere Gate. At 5.45pm, single line operations were started between Nehru Place and Central Secretariat through the Up line (going towards Kashmere Gate) and by 6.47pm normal train movement was restored, DMRC said.

The metal barricades have been in place since October 2010 when the Central Secretariat to Sarita Vihar section of Violet Line opened. It’s possible that the joints holding the barricades together gave way to strong winds. DMRC said a fact-finding exercise would take place on Friday.

“The railing fell due to sudden high wind pressure and hit the side of a train. The operator stopped the train and passengers on board were evacuated on foot to Lajpat Nagar station. There was no injury to anyone,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.