Metro services on purple line resume after technical fault rectified

BENGALURU: Metro service on the Purple Line, which was halted due to a technical snag around 6.30 pm on Tuesday, resumed from 5.21 am on Wednesday morning.

A defect appeared in the current collector shoe of the third rail system at Cubbon Park station, causing disruption to Metro services on the Purple Line from the evening. Namma Metro officials and staff carried out repairs till late at night and successfully resolved the issue around 3.30 am on Wednesday and normal services were restored.

After the technical snag was fixed, the first train arrived at Cubbon Park at 5.21 am as usual after departing from Kadugodi at 5 am. Namma Metro passengers expressed relief over the resumption of services. “If there is no Metro service, it causes problems to our routine life as we travel by Metro daily. Yesterday’s issue was worrying.. Now that service has resumed, it’s a relief”, many said.

The service was disrupted due to a defect in the current collector shoe of the third rail system which connects electricity from the Metro track to the train. Officials got the current collector shoe cap to Cubbon Park Metro late at night.

After the repair work, BMRCL conducted a trial run by the Operations and Maintenance unit. Officials had camped at Cubbon Park station even at midnight. BMRCL thanked all passengers who showed patience, cooperation, and understanding during the temporary service disruption.

The Chief Public Relations Officer of BMRCL, Yashavant Chavan, said, “The technical snag that appeared at Cubbon Park Metro station is cleared and Metro service started as usual at 5 am as per regular schedule. The technical snag at Cubbon Park Metro station has been successfully fixed”.

Insulting to Kannada flag?

Metro officials reportedly used a Kannada flag to bring the current collector shoe cap. The staff used a Kannada flag to tie the cap to a vehicle at night for installation at Cubbon Park. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike has expressed outrage over the action.

After the disruption in service, people expressed outrage at BMRCL as many boarded lorries to reach their destinations. There was widespread anger against BMRCL for not making alternative arrangements and not coordinating with BMTC to arrange alternative bus services.