Metro Mishap in Kolkata: Horrifying Experience for the Trapped Passengers

This incident took place on Wednesday at 12:06 PM when a metro train got stuck in a tunnel between Chadni Chowk and Esplanade. It was heading towards Kavi Subhas. When the train was in Chadni Chowk station, flames were detected in the third rail. Immediately the Metro officials switched off the power and discovered a six-inch long pipe in the third rail. It was removed and power supply was restored back. However, the minute after it left the Chadni Chowk station, sparks were spotted again in the third rail. The Metro officials switched off the supply for the second time. Immediately when the lights and fan were switched off and the trained stopped moving, panic set in. The passengers inside the dark coaches dimly lit by few emergency lights were trapped for half an hour. The train was completely inside the tunnel, 30 feet below ground level. The trapped passengers were helpless and clueless. They had no idea what had happened and how they are going to come out of that horrible situation.

Panic and a deep sense of fear intensified when no communication was received from the Metro authorities. The passengers tried to break the glass panels and others started pressing the emergency buttons. Still, no communication was received. Some passengers started feeling sick and suffocated. After thirty minutes of long wait, rescue team arrived and brought the passengers back to the safety of the platform. The Metro officials disclosed that the sparks and smoke was caused by a PVC pipe coming in contact with the third rail. So they had to switch off the fire to prevent a major fire outbreak. They had initially decided to complete the maintenance work and then let the train travel to Esplanade. But they had to stop their work midway because the motorman alerted them that the trapped passengers were getting suffocated.

By 1:28pm, things were back to normal.

A huge population of Kolkata relies on Kolkata Metro for transport to get rid of traffic hassles. But is it still safe to travel by metro?