Smoke in Metro coach sparks panic, train evacuated

New Delhi: A Delhi Metro train was evacuated at 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 Metro Yellow Line, happened at 10.20 am when the Samaypur Badli-bound Metro was entering Rajiv Chowk station. People were evacuated immediately.  

“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 DMRC official said.

The train has been sent to the DMRC depot to check for any fault, the official said, adding Metro service has been restored on the Yellow Line. According to eyewitnesses, sparks first appeared when the train entered Central Secretariat station. The sparks reappeared after it left Patel Chowk station and headed toward Rajiv Chowk, they said.

Passengers took to Twitter after incident, shaken by the explosion-like noise that accompanied the spark and smoke. “Witnessed two explosions at Rajiv Chowk 15 min back. What’s happening? And again when it reached Rajiv Chowk,” a person wrote on Twitter.

“Something’s not right at #RajivChowk. 2 explosions in electric box back to back,” another person tweeted. Commuters at Rajiv Chowk Metro station say the DMRC does not have a social media outlet to update commuters on events affecting Metro services.