RailEnquiry

Namma Metro trains stopped plying for two hours on Thursday after a battery operated loco, meant for hauling trains ifthey get stuck, itself got derailed. For another two hours the trains ran 15 minutes behind the schedule.The road-cum-rail battery operated loco, a recent addition to the Baiyappanahalli depot, was being tested on the tracks between 2.30 am and 3 am on Thursday morning, when one of its wheels slipped. Although no one was injured, trains between 6 am and 8 am were cancelled.According to BMRCL spokesperson BLY Chavan, “We were testing the loco near the SV Road station when a wheel tripped. The power on the tracks had to be switched off so that BMRCL employees could bring it back on track and move to the depot. During the period no train services operated,” he said.By 8 am train services resumed on one track, as the other was undergoing tests, causing a delay of 15 minutes. “Since we had single line, one train could operate along the stretch. Thus, instead of waiting for 15 minutes, commuters had to wait for 30 minutes,” a BMRCL official said. Normal services were restored by 10.20 am.In the wake of stoppages and delays, rumours of another death on the tracks started making rounds. However, BMRCL officials dismissed the rumours.