New Delhi:
Thousands of commuters were stranded at various Metro stations in the national capital during the morning rush hours today after trains were delayed due to a technical problem.
Commuters in the city were a harassed lot as they were already reeling under the traffic restrictions for the BRICS Summit.
Trains on the busy Line 3 that connects Noida and Ghaziabad with Dwarka were delayed since 8.30 in the morning after they were run at a restricted speed between two stations due to the technical problem.
The problem, which was spotted at around 8.30 am, was yet to be rectified till late in the morning, causing severe inconvenience to office-goers and others who had to search for other modes of transport to reach their destinations.
Traffic restrictions on roads in the city due to the BRICS Summit prompted many to take the Metro, but the decision did not pay much dividends for them.
Trains were run at a restricted speed between Pragati Maidan and Mandi House stations which led to bunching of trains on the corridor during the morning hours. During the peak hours, trains are run at a frequency of three minutes on this corridor.
Sarangi, a software professional who lives in Janakpuri, had to wait for a train for over 20 minutes.
"When the Metro came, it was very crowded. But I managed to get into it but it was not moving fast. I had to get down at Kirti Nagar Station and take an auto to reach Connaught Place," he said.
He was not alone as several passengers from the satellite city of Ghaziabad also waited for Metro to reach their offices on time.