Cable theft disrupts Red Line, DMRC promises security upgrades
Yet another case of cable theft disrupted metro operations on the Red Line, causing delays for commuters on Wednesday morning.
The theft, reported between Seelampur and Welcome Metro stations the previous night, affected the signaling system and forced the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to regulate train speeds.
According to DMRC officials, the stolen cables caused a malfunction in the signaling system, restricting train speed to 25 kmph between Mansarovar Park and Seelampur Metro stations. “This led to a cascading effect on the entire Red Line, resulting in delays in overall passenger trips across the corridor,” the official stated.
Train operations remained affected until 12:21 PM, when the signaling system was fully restored.
“Any damage to the cables causes unwarranted delays in Metro services. Replacing them during revenue service hours, when trains run every three to five minutes, is both challenging and risky,” the DMRC stated.
When immediate repairs are not feasible, restoration work is carried out post-service hours at night.
To prevent future thefts, the DMRC is implementing multiple security measures, including cementing over cables in theft-prone areas, installing anti-theft clamps, exploring the use of drones and CCTV surveillance in vulnerable zones, adding concertina coils and placing protective covers over cable trays.
“The recurrences of such incidents in recent months have been a cause for concern, as commuters rely on Metro punctuality to reach their destinations on-time on a daily basis. There are 89 such case of cable thefts being reported from various corridors of Metro network since June 2024 till date. These thefts include 35 cases of traction cables, 32 cases of signaling cables and 22 cases of electrical cables.” DMRC said in a statement.
“DMRC deeply regrets the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to such incidents of cable thefts and is also in touch with the law and order machinery to resolve such recurring issues.” it added.
