Metro rail sees 20 percent increase in ridership

According to a top official of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the network had a usual ridership of 50,000 till now. But till 6 pm on Thursday, there were nearly 60,000 travellers – an increase of 10,000 or 20 per cent. “The final number will emerge only at the end of the day. We are expecting few more thousands to be added to the actual number,” said the official.

Thursday was the first day the line became paid, as the CMRL had offered free rides for four days since the inauguration of the last stretch between the AG-DMS and Washermanpet on February 10. In those four days, a whopping 7.34 lakh persons travelled by the Metro. This included around 2.53 lakh persons who availed the free ride offer on Wednesday alone, official figures show.

The stretch between AG-DMS and Washermanpet was the last portion that was to be completed in the 45km-long Phase 1 of the carrier. The later phases that are in the works would help increase patronage further, added officials.

The Metro rail had undertaken various measures to increase the ridership, including the introduction of feeder services to improve the last-mile connectivity.