CHENNAI: As the hustle increases in the city, demand for the Metro Rail is seeing a steady spike. The annual tally of passengers using the transit service has surged upwards of 10.5 crore in 2024.
The metro train service began in the city in June 2015 with phase 1 of the Chennai Metro Rail project. As of December 31, 2024, almost 10 years since its inception, the total commuter count has touched 35.53 crore.
Per the CMRL press release, the ridership till 2018, the first three years of the service since inauguration, the footfall was at 2.80 crore.
It saw a steady rise in 2019, taking the annual tally to 3.28 crore in just a year.
However, the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 dragged the yearly count to just 1.18 crore passengers.
In the following years, the ridership saw an impressive increase to 2.53 crore in 2021, 6.09 crore in 2022 and 9.11 crore in 2023. Metro rail usage saw a massive jump in 2024, with a whopping 10.52 crore passengers opting for the service.
To encourage ridership, the CMRL has been offering a 20 per cent discount on all ticketing (Metro Travel Card, Mobile QR code ticketing - single, return, group tickets and QR trip passes, Whatsapp, Paytm, PhonePe and NCMC Card).
“Passengers can also book their tickets through CMRL Whatsapp ticketing system (+91 83000 86000) and Paytm too,” the press note added.