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A regular early-morning metro ride turned tense on Tuesday when a Chennai Metro train suddenly stopped inside an underground tunnel between Central and High Court stations. Around 25 passengers on board were surprised and worried when the train came to a standstill due to a rare double battery failure
that affected its control systems.
Incident on Chennai's Blue Line
The incident happened between 5:15 am and 5:45 am on the Blue Line, which connects Chennai Airport to Wimco Nagar. The train had just left Chennai Central when it stopped nearly 500 metres before reaching High Court station. The train operator made an announcement asking passengers to remain calm and informed the operations control centre about the problem.
Following this, metro officials halted all other trains running on the same track to ensure safety. As per standard procedure, staff counted the passengers and guided them out of the train. They walked through the tunnel, which was well-lit, and were escorted safely to High Court station, where the station manager received them.
What Was Done to Rescue the Passengers?
A rescue train was then brought in to push the stalled train to a siding track near Chennai Central. Metro services returned to normal by 6:20 am. Officials from Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) explained that the train's control units lost power because both onboard battery systems failed. Normally, if one battery fails, the other acts as a backup. However, in this unusual case, both failed at the same time, making it impossible to operate the train.
CMRL stated that this was the first time such an issue had occurred. The affected train will be moved to the Koyambedu depot on Tuesday night for detailed checks. An investigation has already begun to understand what caused the dual battery failure and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
