Over 3 lakh passengers travel by Chennai Metro trains daily
Though the footfall was dull during its inception in 2015 and continued to suffer low numbers in subsequent years and also during the pandemic, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) gradually recorded high numbers.
Chennai Metro Rail
CHENNAI: The daily average ridership of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited has crossed 3 lakh passengers for the second consecutive time. From 2.81 lakh daily in June, the number stood steady at 3.07 lakh in July and August.
Though the footfall was dull during its inception in 2015 and continued to suffer low numbers in subsequent years and also during the pandemic, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) gradually recorded high numbers.
Particularly in 2024, the ridership steadily increased. As per CMRL data for 2024, around 84.63 lakh passengers travelled in the Metro in January, 86.15 lakh in February, 86.82 lakh in March, 80.87 lakh in April, 84.21 lakh in May, 84.33 lakh in June, and 95.35 lakh in July, which gradually increased to 95.43 lakh in August. With such a high patronage, it’s likely that the total passengers travelled in a month will soon cross one crore.
Though the daily average ridership was hovering at 2.50-2.80 lakh passengers in the initial months this year, the surge in daily footfall also aided in crossing the daily average to 3 lakh.
Also, from April-August, there was a spike in the highest single-day ridership on the Metro. The data further revealed that on a single-day in April, the CMRL recorded 3.24 lakh passengers. In May, it was 2.64 lakh in a day, 3.27 lakh in a day in June, 3.50 lakh and 3.69 lakh passengers in a day in July and August respectively.
Passengers speaking to DT Next say that travelling on the Metro is “seamless, inclusive and accessible”. However, they urge CMRL to strengthen the feeder service, as the lack of it prevents the public from using the public transit. Currently, CMRL is operating 22 minibuses as feeder services from 11 different Metro stations. Additionally, CMRL also operates exclusive feeder services from four different IT parks across the city.
“Lack of feeder service is a huge problem. Most of the time, a passenger is forced to shell out more money in reaching the station than on the Metro ticket itself. Surveying these aspects, it’s clear that the last mile connectivity must be strengthened,” pointed out M Harish, a regular commuter.