#Metro Diary 23: Trouble in paradise

Image courtesy: Google

Delhi metro is pretty efficient but it also has days. And these "days" are the days generally when you really need it to function at its best! We once took a good 1.5 hours to reach Delhi University from Connaught Place, which is just 6 stations away and takes 12 to 15 minutes on a normal day. Delhi metro is like a oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. When your train passes through busy Karol Bagh, it almost looks surreal to crane your neck to see the chaos below you. You literally feel uplifted! This Oasis turns into a mirage though when there is a "technical snag". You hear "There will be a short delay in this service. We apologize for the inconvenience." And this "short" announcement can go on ad-infinitum like those Gayatri Mantra played in loops and can trouble you as much! Oh! You find Gayatri Mantra or "Nam myoh ho renge kyo" in loop uplifting? My bad! You are then best suited for a technical snag in the metro ;)

Image Courtesy: Google. This is Lucknow metro. I never had to
get down from a  train like that!

The male and the female announcers keep saying the same thing in loop, until day before when they added a new line. This was, "A train has broken down ahead of us"! This was better to begin with. You at least knew why are you stuck between two stations, looking at the middle floors  of tall apartments. However, as I am pretty averse to ritualistic repetition of anything, soon it became too much, but there was relief! No! The train did not start rolling but the passengers decided to make the time interesting by making some commotion. I heard loud arguments from the compartments behind us and realized people were trying to talk to the driver though the emergency speakers provided. There was a full-fledged negotiation going on. The driver kept saying, the train may roll soon but the passengers waiting for the same for the past 35 minutes were not ready to buy the argument. Some were about miss a train. Some were to take the airport metro line from New Delhi station. Some had appointments at AIIMS, which they called "Medical". After intense negotiations, we saw the drivers leaving their cabin and coming in the compartments. I was looking for some cover thinking there might be some scuffle in the offing (I am very brave that way, you see!) but, they walked past all the compartments and went to the other end's cabin. They actually pulled the train back to the station of origin after good 40 minutes! We were back to square 0, which was better than square 1 as we could then call cabs and head to office. Uber had a field day! So had the autowallas!