Sparks, smoke in Delhi Metro coach; train evacuated

New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) A Delhi Metro train was evacuated at the Rajiv Chowk station after sparks triggered smoke and minor explosion-like noise in its last coach, briefly setting off panic among passengers. The incident, which affected services on Yellow Line, happened around 10.20 am when the Samaypur Badli-bound train was entering Rajiv Chowk. It was evacuated at the station itself and there was no injury to any passenger. “A minor smoke was reported from the air-conditioning vent of the last coach of a metro train at Rajiv Chowk platform heading towards Badli. As a precautionary measure, the train was evacuated at the station itself and passengers were accommodated in the next train,” a Delhi Metro official said. The train has been sent to the depot and the cause behind the smoke is being investigated, the official said, adding that train services have been restored to its normalcy on the line. According to eye-witnesses, sparks first appeared when the train entered the Central Secretariat station and it reappeared after it went Patel Chowk station towards Rajiv Chowk. Many passengers took to Twitter immediately after the incident, somewhat shaken by the explosion-like noise that accompanied the spark and smoke. “Witnessed two explosions at Rajiv Chowk 15 mins back. What’s happening? And again when it reached Rajiv Chowk,” read one post, while another tweet said: “Something’s not right at #RajivChowk. 2 explosions in electric box back to back.” Surprisingly, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has no presence on social media to regularly update commuters on developments affecting its services. Last December, thick plumes of smoke had engulfed a metro coach due to sparks in its air conditioning system, forcing the evacuation of a train full of panic-struck passengers at Patel Chowk station. The 48-km-long Yellow Line (Line 2) stretches between Gurgaon’s Huda City Centre and north Delhi’s Samaypur Badli. PTI