CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited hit a new milestone in September with 1.01 crore passengers, clocking the highest daily average ridership of 3.38 lakh this year. The figure edged past July’s previous best of 3.34 lakh daily commuters, when the network saw 1.03 crore riders in total.

The busiest day fell on September 4, with 3.97 lakh commuters taking the Metro, the highest single-day ridership in recent months.

Data shows that Metro patronage has been steadily rising through 2025. Monthly ridership stood at 86.99 lakh in January, 86.65 lakh in February, and rose to over 92 lakh in March and June. The network crossed the 1-crore mark for the first time this year in July (1.03 crore), followed by 99.09 lakh in August.

In terms of daily averages, ridership grew from 2.8 lakh in January to over 3 lakh by February and June, before hitting the 3.3–3.4 lakh range from July to September.

Officials said the growth underscores Chennaiites’ increasing shift to Metro for faster and more reliable commutes.