New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS): Hundreds of commuters were Tuesday left stranded after a technical fault hit Delhi Metro's Blue Line between Karol Bagh and R.K. Ashram Marg stations, resulting in overcrowding at several stations.

By the time the snag was rectified after almost an hour, large crowds had gathered at platforms all along the busy route, linking Dwarka in west Delhi with Noida and Vaishali in Uttar Pradesh.

The 49-km Blue Line covers 43 stations in some of the most populous parts of the capital and is the longest in the network. It carries over nine lakh passengers every day.

"Metro services of Line 3 (Dwarka-Noida City Centre) and Line 4 (from Yamuna Bank to Vaishali) ran in three short loops following a technical problem from 12.40 p.m. in the Blue Line," said a Delhi Metro official.

Trains ran on three short loops and single-line service on the various sections of the line.

"The trains are plying from Karol Bagh to Dwarka Sector 21 station and Barakhamba station to Noida City Centre/Vaishali. As the technical snag is between R.K. Ashram Marg and Karol Bagh stations, the trains on this stretch are running on single track between Karol Bagh and Barakhamba stations," the official said.

The Karol Bagh-R.K. Ashram Marg corridor had faced a similar problem five days ago in the Over Head Electrification (OHE) system that transmits electricity to the trains.

The crowds were the maximum at the Rajiv Chowk interchange, the busiest of all Metro stations.