An electrical glitch at the Noapara carshed disrupted Metro services on the north-south corridor (Blue Line) between Dakshineswar and Dum Dum for over an hour on Monday morning.
Trains could not roll out of the shed at Noapara and move towards Dakshineswar, the northern terminal, for the south-bound journey.
The first train usually leaves Dakshineswar at 6.55am on a weekday. On Monday, the first train finally left Dakshineswar at 7.54am, said Metro officials.
The first south-bound train for the day left Dum Dum at 7.30am. Usually, the first south-bound train leaves Dum Dum at 6.55am every day.
“Three more trains left for Shahid Khudiram (the terminal station on the south at present) until Dakshineswar became operational. One of them left from Dum Dum and two from Noapara,” said a Metro official.
From Shahid Khudiram (Briji), the first north-bound train left at 6.55am, as usual. “By the time the train reached Dakshineswar, the problem had been fixed. That is the train which turned back and left for Khudiram at 7.54am,” the official said.
The Metro spokesperson attributed the disruption to a glitch in the third rail, which supplies power to the trains.
“There was a problem in the third rail. Trains could not move out of the shed and go towards Dakshineswar,” said the spokesperson.
The glitch disrupted services on the first working day of the week, tormenting commuters. “I waited for 15 minutes before leaving Dum Dum and getting on a bus,” said Partha Biswas, who was headed towards Ballygunge.
Baranagar and Dakshineswar were added to the Blue Line on February 23, 2021. Tens of thousands of passengers living across the Hooghly and in areas like Dunlop, Bonhooghly, Khardah and other areas on both sides of BT Road take the Metro every day.
Shahid Khudiram has been the new southern terminal since July 28, when commercial services were suspended at Kavi Subhash (New Garia) following cracks in platform pillars.
The shutdown has already disrupted the Blue Line timetable, causing frequent delays in trains, passengers have alleged. “The crossover point, where trains can switch tracks, has been changed. A Kavi Subhash-bound train is now switching to the Dakshineswar-bound tracks at a new spot, beyond Shahid Khudiram. Until a train has switched tracks, the train behind cannot enter the Down (New Garia-bound) platform of Shahid Khudiram,” said a Metro spokesperson.