Many complain of delays after tremors stall Metro for 15mins

New Delhi: Monday's earthquake led to DMRC stopping trains along its 208km-long network for 15 minutes. This later went on to have a domino effect on services with many commuters complaining of delays.
"Metro services were put on hold between 2.40pm and 2.55pm after tremors were felt across the city. Services resumed after a safety check of the structures was conducted," said a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation official.Incidentally, Delhi Metro is designed to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 7 on the Richter scale. No damage was reported along the Metro network.
Passengers, however, complained that even after services were resumed, trains ran at a very slow pace. Officials admitted that it took some time for operations to be restored as a comprehensive safety check was undertaken. "We looked for possible derailments or damages to station structures. Every major component was looked at," the official added. As per protocol, after the main shock subsides, trains stalled in between stations are brought to the station at precautionary speed.
For those travelling on the trains though, it was a panicky 15 minutes. "I was in the train when it stopped. I didn't feel the tremors so the announcement came as a surprise. Everyone in the coach was very worried," said Rita Bhowmick, who had boarded the train from Mayur Vihar. Thousands others were also taken by surprise.
Adding to the sense of chaos was the crowd at Metro stations. Suraksha, a young professional who was travelling from Mandi House towards Kashmere Gate said, "The announcements were made at Mandi House station but the train stopped at Janpath. A surge of men barged into the women's coach as there was a massive crowd at the platformwaiting to get in...the train was packed thereafter."Around 27 lakh passengers use the Metro daily., which connects several parts of Delhi with major NCR settlements such as Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad.
The earthquake's epicenter was in the Hindukush mountain range in Afghanistan, and struck at around 2.40pm, sending ripples across several states like Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, the National Capital Region (NCR), Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.