Chennai metro milestone: Ridership crosses 1 crore in July
Reflects denizens’ preference to this mode of public transit over other cheaper means like bus and trains;
Chennai Metro Train (CMRL)
CHENNAI: In a first, the Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) reached a major milestone in July 2025 by crossing the one-crore ridership mark in a single month, reaching a record passenger count of 1,03,78,835.
This surge equates to an average daily ridership of about 3.34 lakh passengers, representing a significant rise compared to previous periods.
For example, the average daily ridership from January-June 2025 was 2.95 lakh, while the full-year daily average in 2024 was 2.87 lakh and 2.49 lakh in 2023. In July 2024, the passenger ridership crossed the 90-lakh mark for the first time, which fell to 83.61 lakh in November but again, rose to 92.91 lakh in June this year.
These figures demonstrate a steady upward trend in Metro usage and reflect Chennaiites’ increasing preference for public transit amid rising traffic congestion and fuel costs.
The CMRL release stated that on July 4, the Metro had recorded its highest ridership per day – 3,74.948 passengers.
CMRL, which commenced operations on 29 June 2015, has become an essential part of the city’s transport infrastructure. As of July 31 this year, around 41.91 crore passengers have travelled on the Metro.
Ridership data over the past decade illustrates this upward movement. From 2.80 crore passengers between 2015 and 2018, the number steadily increased to over 3.28 crore in 2019. While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp decline in 2020 (1.18 crore) and a partial rebound in 2021 (2.53 crore), the Metro recovered strongly in the post-pandemic years, with 6.09 crore passengers in 2022 and 9.11 crore in 2023. The year 2024 alone recorded 10.52 crore passengers, the highest in any calendar year so far.
The rise in ridership follows consistent efforts by CMRL to enhance service frequency, promote digital ticketing, improve last-mile connectivity, and increase commuter convenience. Officials noted that the Phase II expansion, currently underway, is expected to further boost daily footfall in the coming years.