Metro stalls at Dakshineswar, causes delays & overcrowding

Kolkata: A Metro rake stalled at Dakshineswar station on the Blue Line (Dakshineswar-Kavi Subhash) on Wednesday afternoon due to technical issues, resulting in a series of train delays and overcrowding at various stations.

The incident occurred around 12:40 pm when the train had trouble starting at the Down platform as it was about to begin its journey towards Kavi Subhash (New Garia). A Metro Railway official confirmed that the train was vacated and after 10 minutes, another rake was operated, which departed from Dakshineswar at 12:50 pm. The faulty train was subsequently fixed and resumed service later.

“The train that had issues starting was repaired and later resumed carrying passengers. In the meantime, another train was operated from Dakshineswar and another service was run from Noapara,” said the official.

However, commuters alleged that three consecutive trains were cancelled, leading to significant crowding at stations. Amidst the chaos at Dum Dum station, a female passenger was reportedly injured while trying to board a train.

Sources revealed that the different track-switching process at Dakshineswar compared to Dum Dum contributed to the delays.

With the Down platform blocked due to the stalled train, the Up platform was used temporarily for trains travelling towards Kavi Subhash.

This necessitated a track change to the Down Line, taking more time than usual. Two such trains using the Up platform at Dakshineswar were operated, according to sources.