Yellow surge pushes Chennai Metro Rail to highest-ever monthly ridership

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) recorded its highest-ever monthly ridership in October, with the overall ridership reaching 1.08 crore (1,08,23,408). The newly operational Yellow Line has helped increase the numbers, recording 5.83 lakh passenger journeys in its first month of operations.

According to CMRL, the Green and Blue Lines together accounted for 1,02,40,136 passengers in October, while the 14.64-km Yellow Line, connecting Poonamallee Bypass with Vadapalani via Porur Junction, recorded 5,83,272 passengers. The Yellow Line comprises 11 elevated stations and has added a new travel corridor to the city's Metro network.

The month's highest single-day ridership was recorded on October 16, when 4,51,705 passengers travelled by Metro. The figures indicate sustained patronage across the existing network, along with growing usage of the newly introduced corridor.

The October ridership also marks a significant increase compared with the previous months. The Metro network had recorded 74.06 lakh passengers in June, followed by 1.06 crore in July, and 1.04 crore in August. The ridership stood at 1 crore in September before climbing to 1.08 crore in October. The latest figures show that the ridership has consistently remained above the one-crore mark for four consecutive months.

The Yellow Line was inaugurated on October 11 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Train services on the 15-km operational stretch, connecting 11 elevated stations, are currently available between 6 am and 9 pm in both directions.

The Singara Chennai National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) emerged as the most preferred ticketing option in October, accounting for 52.05 lakh passenger journeys. Single-journey paper QR tickets purchased at station counters accounted for 22.52 lakh journeys, while the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform recorded 13.95 lakh.

Among other digital ticketing options, WhatsApp ticketing through 83000 86000 recorded 4.74 lakh journeys, followed by the Chennai One app with 4.26 lakh, Paytm with 3.35 lakh and PhonePe with 1.76 lakh. Static QR tickets purchased at stations accounted for 2.20 lakh journeys, while online ticketing recorded 2.02 lakh. The Stored Value Pass (SVP) on the CMRL mobile application was used for 1.33 lakh journeys.

CMRL offers a 20 per cent fare discount for passengers using NCMC cards and digital QR ticketing options, including WhatsApp, Paytm, PhonePe and the digital SVP available on its mobile application. However, the discount does not apply to single-journey paper QR tickets purchased at ticket counters.