Power failure throws Delhi Metro services out of gear

New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Thousands of commuters in the capital faced a harrowing time Monday morning as services of the Delhi Metro were disrupted due to tripping of power supply. However, officials said 25 percent of the trains on all the lines were put into service from 7 a.m.

"From 7 a.m., only 25 percent of trains on all lines are being operated. One out of four trains are on time as of now. We hope to operate about 60 percent of the trains by 9 a.m.," a Metro official said.

Train services on the 190-km Metro network connecting length and breath of the national capital were affected due to power failure in the Northern Grid, the main power source for Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Northern Grid failure also caused power cuts in large parts of Delhi.

"The train services with normal frequency will be resumed only after the supply is restored as it is a major Northern Grid power failure," the official said.

The Delhi Metro normally operates over 2,700 trips a day, covering about 70,000 km and carrying around 1.8 million passengers on week days.