Chennai Metro train halts inside tunnel, passengers walk 500 metres to safety

A Chennai Metro train on the Blue Line came to an unexpected halt inside an underground tunnel near the Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M.G. Ramachandran Central Metro station early Tuesday, leaving passengers with no choice but to walk nearly 500 metres along the track to safety. The disruption, caused by a technical fault, brought services to a standstill during the busy morning hours.

The train, which was operating on the Airport–Wimco Nagar route, stalled between Central Metro and High Court stations. Commuters said the lights dipped briefly before the train stopped completely inside the tunnel, around 500 metres from the Central Railway Station stretch.

For nearly 10 minutes, commuters remained inside the stalled train with no clarity on what had caused the disruption. Several videos shared from inside the compartment showed passengers holding on to handrails and looking out anxiously as they waited for instructions from the control room.

An announcement eventually informed passengers that the train could not be moved immediately and that they would have to walk to the nearest station — High Court — using the emergency walkway inside the tunnel.

Chennai Metro Rail staff and technical teams reached the spot quickly and guided the passengers, including women and elderly commuters, safely along the walkway to High Court station, where additional staff were deployed to assist them.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) later confirmed that the disruption was caused by a technical snag, likely linked to a brief power interruption. The fault was rectified and services on the Blue Line were restored soon after.

In a statement on X, CMRL said: “Metro train services between Airport and Wimco Nagar Depot on the Blue Line have resumed normal operation. Services between Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Metro and St Thomas Mount on the Green Line are also running as per schedule. We regret the inconvenience caused.”

The breakdown, which lasted for more than 30 minutes, delayed several morning commuters. CMRL has initiated an internal assessment to determine the cause of the glitch and prevent similar incidents in the future.

- with inputs from IANS