Doors open, packed Metro races between stations

The incident was reported around 9.40 am between Arjangarh Metro station and Ghitorni on the Yellow Line (HUDA City Centre to Jahangirpuri). More than 9 lakh passengers travel on this route on weekdays.

DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal told Newsline that the train driver first noticed a glitch in the signalling panel when the train reached Sikanderpur Metro station, two stations before Arjangarh.

“Every Metro train has two cab doors at both ends for the drivers. On Thursday morning, the signalling panel beeped, indicating that the rear cab door was open. The driver got down to inspect the rear cab door and found it to be closed. The safety mechanism of the Delhi Metro coaches is designed in a way that if the signals indicate a door is open, the train would not move. He alerted the control panel about the glitch. The control panel then gave the driver permission to resume the journey keeping the train on bypass mode,” he said.

The train arrived at Guru Dronacharya and Arjangarh Metro stations on bypass mode. “At the Arjangarh station, after commuters had boarded the Metro, the driver forgot to close the coach doors on the left. Since the signalling panel was in bypass mode, he did not realise that the doors were open. He was supposed to physically check the doors. Prima facie, it is an error on the part of the train operator. He has been suspended with immediate effect,” Dayal said.

The Metro usually travels at a speed of 33 kmph. But it was probably moving faster at the time of the incident as it covered the 2.7-km stretch between Arjangarh and Ghitorini in 2.5 minutes.

Metro officials, however, downplayed the incident by saying that the line was not one of the busier routes. “The major rush is on the line between Qutub Minar and Jahangirpuri. The affected line was a different stretch, which is relatively less crowded,” a DMRC official said.

Gyanam, who takes the Metro from Guru Dronacharya station to his office in Central Delhi, said the incident alarmed passengers, who started pressing alarm buttons frantically to alert the driver.

“When the train was pulling out of the station, we thought the doors might close in a few seconds. But that did not happen. The train was at full speed and this stretch is one of the longest between two stations. Moreover, the coach was full and all passengers huddled together, lest anybody fall,” he said, showing a video of the entire episode he captured on his cellphone.

Soon after, social media, including Facebook and Twitter, were flooded with comments from harrowed commuters and shocked public, who expressed dismay over “such a major security lapse” on the “trusted” Delhi Metro.