How a vehicle breakdown disrupted Bengaluru Metro's Green Line services for over 10 hours

A road-cum-rail vehicle (RRV) broke down between Rajaji Nagar and Mahakavi Kuvempu Road Metro stations,

In a Peak Bengaluru moment, a road-rail vehicle (RRV) operated for emergency purposes broke down, disrupted Metro services for over 10 hours and had Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)'s emergency staff rushing to its rescue, on October 3.

While Bengaluru has frequently witnessed vehicle breakdowns leading to traffic chaos on its roads, a vehicle breakdown disrupting Metro services is a rare instance.

BMRCL officials said RRV broke down between Rajaji Nagar and Mahakavi Kuvempu Road Metro stations, hitting train services and causing severe inconvenience to passengers, including office-goers, students, and those returning to the city after a long weekend.

At 5:28 am on October 3, BMRCL announced on X (formerly Twitter), that Green Line services between Yeswanthpur and Mantri Square Sampige Road stations were unavailable. Bengaluru Metro operates from 5 am to 11 pm.

Also read: Services on Bengaluru Metro's Green Line disrupted due to technical glitch; passengers face hardship

High drama at site

High drama unfolded at the breakdown site as the 17-tonne RRV needed to be lifted off the Metro rail track, which was about 13 meters high, and lowered to the ground using a 250-tonne hydraulic crane.

AS Shankar, Executive Director (Operations and Maintenance), BMRCL, told Moneycontrol: "We recently procured two RRVs for the two extension lines (Kengeri-Challaghatta and Byappanahalli-Whitefield). The depot trial was successful at Peenya, and later we decided to conduct a trial on the mainline. But around 2:30 am, one of the wheels of an RRV got stuck between Rajaji Nagar and Mahakavi Kuvempu Road Metro stations."

BMRCL's Chief Public Relations Officer, BL Yashwanth Chavan, said, "After depot testing, RRV was undergoing mandatory trials from Peenya depot to National College Metro station during non-operational hours."

"During the trials at a curve in Rajaji Nagar, rear wheel mechanism, which combines road and rail functions, got jammed and could not be retrieved, even with the assistance of other RRVs,"said Chavan.

Around 50-60 BMRCL senior officials and engineers were on-site from early Tuesday morning. Shankar said they initially tried to retrieve the vehicle with another RRV but failed. "Later, we attempted to fix it using tools and other equipment, but it didn't succeed. At around 10 am, we decided to deploy a crane to lift the vehicle from the elevated track to the ground.Around 12 noon, a 250-tonne hydraulic crane arrived at the spot, and RRV was successfully lowered to the ground from a height of around 13 meters. Following this, normal train services were restored at around 3:40 pm."

Crowds at gates.....gates are getting closed....no proper announcements....Huge mess on #Bengaluru Metro's Green line today

Still trains are being operated on a single line only. Wait continues to board the train with high wait time

(Video: Received on WA....credits to the… https://t.co/I15MQOI4Q8 pic.twitter.com/5H2LFmxEMr

— Karnataka Weather (@Bnglrweatherman) October 3, 2023

Shankar said they had to overcome a few challenges. "Train services were running on one track at a reduced speed, presence of high curvatures near Rajaji Nagar, space constraints, etc. But we managed to do fix it with minimal disturbance to passengers.”

Mission Accomplished

The derailed re-rail was shifted using a hydraulic crane. The service will start after checking the safety of the Current Metro Route. #nammametro @MDNammaMetro pic.twitter.com/Vi5NTACul6

— Ashik_Mulki (@AshikMulki) October 3, 2023

RRV is mainly deployed in emergency relief and rescue operations in case of train derailments or other rail incidents on the mainline and in depots. It can also be used as a rescue vehicle in cases of accidents, including structural collapses.

Passengers affected

Passengers at Yeswantpur railway station and other stations, returning after an extended weekend (Eid-e-Milad on September 28, Karnataka bandh on September 29, followed by Saturday and Sunday, and Gandhi Jayanti on October 2), faced severe inconvenience. Green Line stations, including Yeswantpur, witnessed heavy crowding due to the service disruption.

Normally, Green Metro trains run every five minutes, but following the RRV breakdown and resultant disruption, BMRCL operated trains at a frequency of 30 minutes on October 3. In fact, Metro staff had to close the entry gates at Yeswantpur metro station due to overcrowding.

Yeswantpur Metro station

Chavan said Metro trains were operated on a single line from 6:30 am to 2 pm to minimise inconvenience to Metro commuters, first between Yeswanthpur and Mantri Square Road Metro stations and later from Rajaji Nagar to Mantri Square Road Metro stations.

Crowd of people at Yeshwantpur metro station due to RE train derailment near Rajajinagar metro station.@nammametrouser @BlrCityPolice @MDNammaMetro @NammaBengaluroo #nammametroderailment #Bengalurunews pic.twitter.com/UTs1lP2tjr

— Ashik_Mulki (@AshikMulki) October 3, 2023

Post noon, footfalls thinned out on the Kempegowda Majestic interchange - Nagasandra section as many commuters opted for BMTC buses, auto rickshaws, and cabs due to disruptions on the Green Line.

The 30-kilometre Green Line, connecting Nagasandra in the north to Silk Institute in the south, witnesses an average daily ridership of 2.2 lakh passengers.

Also read: 5 reasons why Bengaluru's ORR faced unusual traffic congestion on September 27