Days before PM Modi inaugurates Magenta Line, DMRC’s driverless train crashes into wall

Delhi Metro: The incident took place at 3.40 pm and is being treated as a case of “human error and negligence”, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said

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One of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line trains crashed into the boundary wall of Kalindi Kunj depot on Tuesday. (Express Photo/Praveen Khanna)

Less than a week before the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the much-awaited driverless trains on the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line, one of the trains crashed into the boundary wall of the Kalindi Kunj depot on Tuesday afternoon. The incident took place at 3.40 pm and is being treated as a case of “human error and negligence”, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said.

“The train was brought in for maintenance, and when that happens, the brakes are decommissioned… After the maintenance procedure was over, the brakes should have been tested before the train left the depot. But that was not done and the train was taken for cleaning… It had to go over a ramp, and the brakes did not work, since they were decommissioned. It rolled back and hit the boundary wall,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director, corporate communications, DMRC. “Managing Director, DMRC, (Mangu Singh) has ordered a high-level enquiry by a committee of three officers… appropriate action will be taken after the enquiry.”

A traffic jam was witnessed outside the spot, with commuters eager to see the swanky train jutting out of a wall — even as DMRC officials scrambled inside the depot to figure out what went wrong. No one was injured in the incident. On December 25, the PM will inaugurate a 12.64-km stretch of the Magenta Line linking Botanical Garden with Kalkaji West. Part of Phase III, the line is equipped with a new signalling system called the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC). For now, the inauguration is on track, DMRC said.

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Talking about safety, Singh said, “Main line operations on this line are absolutely safe, with a high level of automation, and have been thoroughly checked and cleared by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for passengers.” Dayal said, “This incident has nothing to do with the CBTC signalling system… it (the train) was not in operation at the time. There is no need to panic.”

A team of officials from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) reached the depot at 7 pm, but were allegedly “denied entry” after waiting for 30 minutes. “We didn’t get a call from the Delhi Metro, we got a call from the District Magistrate to make a visit and inspect… if someone gets hurt inside, who will be held responsible?” said a DDMA officer.

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