New Delhi:
Services were affected on sections of the Delhi Metro for over half an hour on Wednesday afternoon and then again in the evening after two drones were spotted on the tracks.
In a statement on the afternoon incident, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said services were affected on the Blue Line after a drone was found lying between the Uttam Nagar East and Uttam Nagar West Metro Stations. It said services on the line were “regulated” between 02:50 PM and 03:29 PM.
Services were not run between the two stations to ensure personnel could access the tracks and remove the drone. Metro rakes were run only on a single line between Uttam Nagar East and Janakpuri West, and between Uttam Nagar West and Dwarka.
The DMRC said services remained available in two sections of the Blue Line from Janakpuri West to Vaishali and NOIDA Electronic City; and Dwarka to Dwarka Sector-21.
Normal services resumed on the entire line, between Dwarka Sector-21 and NOIDA Electronic City/Vaishali after 3:29 PM when the drone was removed and a security clearance was given.
In the evening incident, a drone was found on the tracks near the Janakpuri Metro station, which is an interchange point between the Blue and Magenta lines. Officials said services were stopped for some time while the drone was being retrieved.
They said the drone turned out to be “toy-like” and its owner is being questioned, adding that they have not found anything suspicious so far.