Software Corrupted: Chennai metro rail disappoints commuters

CHENNAI: On Wednesday morning the passengers of the metro went through a harrowing experience after the metro rail services were affected for the third time within a week.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said services were halted after the signalling software was corrupted. However, officials didn't have an explanation about what corrupted the software and what was being done to solve the persisting problem.

Though services resumed after an hour, commuters said that the trains ran slow. Officials said the glitch was reported at Egmore metro station around 7AM and affected services across the two corridors.

Trains stopped midway in various parts of the corridors, the AFC gates where smart cards are swiped stopped working and the display screens in the stations went blank. Since it was during the peak hours, commuters were forced to disembark and look for alternative modes of transport.

"Due to minor communication glitches in the signalling system there was a delay of a few minutes in switchover to the backup system. CMRL is sufficiently equipped with backup systems to maintain and restore normal services immediately," an official said.

The snag was again reported at Thirumangalam on Tuesday evening. Commuters had to argue with station staff to get a refund for their tickets. Services resumed after almost an hour.

Disappointed with the services, many commuters took to social media to vent out their anger. "The undue delay in Chennai Metro service this morning put the public through a horrible experience. Does CMRL really have any mechanism to resolve the problem," a commuter tweeted.