A major power grid failure plunged parts of Gurugram into darkness on Friday evening, crippling public transit and forcing dozens of metro passengers to evacuate trains and walk along elevated guide-ways. The disruption, which struck during the peak evening rush hour, completely paralyzed the Rapid Metro network and heavily impacted the Gurugram segment of the Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line.
The Cause: Transformer Blast and Oil Leak
According to state utility officials, the massive blackout was caused by an equipment failure at a major power hub. An unexpected technical fault triggered a severe oil leak inside a massive 220 KVA current transformer located in Sector 72. The combination of intense thermal heating and leaking oil culminated in a violent blast and subsequent fire right as circuit breakers were being deployed to isolate the system.
The localized explosion created an immediate blackout across the network, instantly cutting off the power supply from the Sector 72 hub to five major downstream sub-stations, including those in Sector 52 and Sector 56.
Commuters Stranded in the Dark
The sudden loss of the power supply from the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited (HVPNL) grid immediately brought trains to a grinding halt. A spokesperson for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) confirmed that train services were entirely unavailable for 43 minutes, spanning from 7:50 PM to 8:33 PM.
With coaches left without air conditioning or internal power, and no immediate signs of a grid reboot, passengers opened emergency doors to escape the stifling heat. Videos widely circulated on social media showed lines of commuters balancing and walking carefully along the narrow metro tracks in the dark to reach the nearest station platform.
Power was eventually restored via back-up lines and grid rerouting close to 8:35 PM, allowing the DMRC to slowly normalize train frequencies across the Millennium City.
