India

Passenger’s Track Incident Delays Bengaluru Metro Purple Line for 10 Minutes

By Sneha Biswas

On Friday, a passenger’s accidental entry onto the tracks at Indiranagar Metro station caused a brief halt of services on Bengaluru Metro’s Purple Line. Around 9:22 am, the 20‑year‑old man, identified as Ravikanth, dropped his token on Platform 2 and stepped onto the tracks to retrieve it. He was traveling from Indiranagar to MG Road and was on his first metro ride. Ravikanth, a resident of Bihar who works in construction, was safely rescued by station security after the Emergency Trip System (ETS) and Emergency Stop Plunger (ESP) were activated. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) confirmed that train services on the Purple Line were delayed by about ten minutes and that a few Green Line trains were temporarily regulated to prevent overcrowding at Kempegowda Majestic Interchange Station. Normal operations on both lines resumed at 9:40 am. The incident has prompted discussion among commuters about installing platform screen doors, as Namma Metro stations currently lack such safety features. The third rail, which supplies power to the trains, remains a safety risk when passengers are on the tracks. The incident is one of several in the past where passengers have fallen onto or stepped onto the tracks.