Power supply failure hits Metro Railway services for 15 min 

Metro Railway services were disrupted in Kolkata city for 15 minutes during peak hours this morning owing to a major breakdown in power supply, causing commotion among passengers.

Electricity supply to the Metro Railway was disrupted for 15 minutes from 9.53 am following the major breakdown in supply by private power utility CESC. This is the first time that Kolkata Metro was affected by power breakdown.

Passengers in the rush hour trains were anxious at the power going off in the middle of the tunnels and also at the almost darkness at the platforms when the trains rolled into stations. Railway staff, including security men, used torch lights to help passengers in alighting from the trains at the platforms and to move outside in an orderly manner.

"None of the trains in motion during that period stopped inside the tunnels as the rakes rolled on to the next station on inertia and were stopped by the motormen at the designated platforms using pneumatic brake system," an official said. "There are a number of emergency lights inside every coach and these came on as soon as the regular power went off," the official said.

The Metro system in the city gets its power feed from four substations and that even if three of these are shut down, it can run on supply from one substation. All three units of the 750 MW Budge Budge power generating station of CESC here tripped at 9.53 AM following a network disturbance.