Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials said services were mainly affected between 12.37 pm and 5.50 pm. (File photo)
Major snags on Delhi Metro's Red Line, that connects Dilshad Garden to Rithala, threw services out of gear for several hours leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the 23-km-long corridor on the first day of odd-even scheme's second phase.
Transport Minister Gopal Rai went to Shastri Park station in the afternoon to take stock of the situation. The government also added 10 buses on the route to mitigate the woes of people.
A three-member committee has been formed to investigate the matter which will be headed by Vikash Kumar, Executive Director (Operation) and submit its report within a week, Rai said.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials said services were mainly affected between 12.37 pm and 5.50 pm when a portion of OHE (Over Head Electricity) wire got damaged and broke at four locations between Kashmere Gate and Shastri Park stations.
In the intervening period, trains ran on a single line between Kashmere Gate and Dilshad Garden stations while they were run in short loop from Tis Hazari to Rithala stations, resulting in reduced frequency.
"Single line operations between Kashmere Gate and Dilshad Garden section on down line resulted in availability of trains at a higher interval (around 20 minutes) on the stations," an official said.
The doors of a train also malfunctioned at the IGI station of the premium Airport Express Line for around 25 minutes in the morning. Although it did not lead to any major bunching.
"I could see trains using only one line as commuters swelled by the hour on the platform of the Kashmere Gate station which remains crowded in any case," Anshu J Singh, a media professional, said.
DMRC sent specialised OHE teams comprising five to six members each to the site immediately from all of its maintenance depots including the ones at Najafgarh, Sarita Vihar, and Yamuna Bank among others.
"After undertaking the urgent repair work of the affected OHE portion on up line between Kashmere Gate and Shastri Park stations, full normalcy also restored between Kashmere Gate and Dilshad Garden section at 05:50 pm," the official said.
During the odd-even scheme, 200 Metro trains will make around 3,248 trips daily. 15 additional feeder buses will also leave from stations across the city.