Thunderstorm alert in Delhi: Metro trains may be delayed or even stopped today; here is why

In the wake of weatherman’s warning of thunderstorm in the national Capital, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday decided to take caution in the opeartion of trains. In case of wind speed remaining between 70-90 kmph, rains will enter the platform at a restricted speed of 40 kmph or less, on the elevated sections of the DRMC network, said a sneior DMRC official. “However, in case of wind speed is reported to breach 90 kmph, then trains will be put on hold while no train will enter the platform with a speed of more than 15 kmph,” the official said.

According to DMRC officials, trains will resume their normal movement once the wind speed is reported at less than 85 kmph for a sustained duration of five minutes. “There will be appropriate and timely annoucements made at all metro stations, as per the wind condition,” he said. The Delhi Metro opeartes a network of 252 km along Delhi-NCR and has an average daily ridership of 28 lakh. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of thunderstorm and gusty winds in isolated places in Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

The DMRC’s average daily ridership is expected to cross 40 lakh once its phase III is completed. Only recently, the opening of the Metro’s Pink Line (Majlis Park to South Campus corridor), it crossed 250 km of its operational length.

(Source: DNA)