India: Bird delays hundreds travelling on Delhi metro-train

ASIA PACIFIC DAILY

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By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

NEW DELHI, June 14 (APD) - A short circuit caused by a bird, delayed trains on Delhi metro on Tuesday. The metro’s Blue Line that runs between Indraprastha and Yamuna Bank came to a halt when an eagle hit overhead wires, causing a short circuit.

The line connects Dwarka with Noida City Centre and Vaishali stations, and is said to be one of the busiest lines of Delhi metro. The stations on the line became crowded as only one train was seen running in nearly three hours.

A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official informed, "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."

"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," he added.

According to some commuters trains on the line stopped for about 15 to 20 minutes at every station, which caused grave delay.

The hitch was reported at 4.55 pm, just minutes before the evening peak hour when hundreds of office goers and children board the metro to reach home. The fault was repaired by 7.40 pm.

The affected metro line was 50-kilometre-long. The network of the Delhi metro network is spread across 213 kilometers. Everyday more than 30,00,000 passengers travel in the metro.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)