Delhi Metro commuters said trains on the Blue Line stopped for 15 minutes at every station. (File)
Trains on Delhi Metro's busy Blue Line between Indraprastha and Yamuna Bank came to a halt today after an eagle hit overhead wires, triggering a short circuit. Stations on the line that connects Dwarka with Noida City Centre and Vaishali became overcrowded after trains ran on a single line for three hours.
Some commuters said the trains on the affected line stopped for more than 15-20 minutes at every station. Commuters on the Noida-Rajiv Chowk route also said the air-conditioning stopped working intermittently in some coaches.
The snag happened at 4.55 pm, minutes before the evening peak hour that usually sees hundreds of home-bound commuters taking the metro. The fault was repaired by 7.40 pm, a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation or DMRC official said.
"An eagle hit the overhead equipment wire (OHE), leading to a short circuit of the insulator, and resulting in sagging of catenary wire. The insulator flashed and broke. It caused OHE entanglement with a train passing under it," the DMRC official said.
"Consequently, train movement was regulated on this line. Trains were run on a single line, alternatively in either direction, and repairs were carried out. The snag had hit the down line that goes towards Noida and Vaishali," the official added.
The over 50-kilometre-long Blue Line is DMRC's longest corridor. The Delhi metro network spans 213 km and carries 30 lakh passengers daily, with the Blue Line being one of the busiest.
With inputs from PTI.