Chennai Metro Rail passengers were put to hardship for two days as trains were delayed due to glitches in the signalling system yet again.
On Friday and Saturday morning, the Airport Metro station was hit by a problem in the point machine of the signalling system, which aids in safe movement of the trains, a Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) official said. Due to the glitch, there was a delay of about half-an-hour to 45 minutes.
CMRL officials said they tried to fix the issue at the earliest. “The point machine helps in crossover (for trains to change tracks). Since it stopped working all of a sudden, train movement got affected. We ensured the services did not come to a halt, but delays could not be avoided,” an official said.
A. Venkat, a resident of Nanganallur, said: “From around 8.30 a.m., I waited for nearly 20 minutes for a train. How will someone want to give up their private transport, when this system is not even reliable?”
The trouble surfaced in June for the first time and subsequently, thrice in September signalling snags delayed and even stalled operations for hours.