Metro services on the north-south corridor (Blue Line) were disrupted for over an hour on Saturday afternoon, causing trouble for several commuters.
The disruption was attributed to a problem in the underground tunnel between JD Park and Netaji Bhavan. A Metro official said it was a “civil engineering issue” but did not clarify.
The problem was detected shortly after 3.30pm, said sources in the carrier.
“There was no service between Maidan and Tollygunge stations between 3.35pm and 4.40pm. Truncated services ran between Maidan and Dakshineswar, the terminal station on the north, and between Tollygunge and New Garia, the terminal station on the south,” the Metro official said.
“Trains were allowed to run through the affected stretch after a detailed assessment. After the commercial services are over, teams from the civil and electrical engineering departments will look into the problem,” said the official.
The disruption would have been a nightmare on a weekday. But even on Saturday, when many offices and educational institutions were shut, it caused distress for thousands.
People were stranded at different stations. Many alleged lack of enough information.
“The public address system said truncated services were being run but made no mention of when full services would be restored,” said a woman who waited at Park Street station for close to 30 minutes. She was headed to Tollygunge. She eventually came out of the station and took a bus.
Another man, headed to central Calcutta, waited in Tollygunge station for 25 minutes for full services to resume. He finally took an app cab to Chandni Chowk, shelling out close to ₹400.
The older stations and tunnels in north-south Metro, the oldest Metro in the country, were built in the 1980s.
Metro has engaged consulting agency Rites to conduct a study on how to overhaul the Metro tunnels between Tollygunge and Dum Dum. This includes the civil structures and tracks, senior officials said.