Chennai Metro Rail’s average daily ridership jumps to 3.44 lakh in February
The Hindu
Chennai Metro Rail's daily ridership reaches 3.44 lakh in February, driven by reduced suburban train services, officials report.
The recent reduction of suburban train services, as a consequence of the work under way at Egmore Railway Station, has resulted in the Chennai Metro Rail recording the highest daily average ridership of 3.44 lakh in February.
The number of people riding the Metro rail daily has risen from an average of 3.09 lakh in February 2025 to 3.44 lakh in February 2026, recording a 11% increase.
According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the primary reason for the surge in daily ridership over the last 10 days is the decrease in the number of suburban train services.
In January 2025, the average daily ridership was 2.80 lakh. This gradually rose to 3.07 lakh in June that year. While in July 2025, the average number of passengers spiked to 3.37 lakh, it plummeted to 3.19 lakh in August, only to increase to 3.38 lakh in September that year.
The next month onwards, the ridership began to decline gradually. From an average of 3.10 lakh passengers in October, it consistently dropped in the following months, with January 2026 registering an average ridership of only 3 lakh.
“In the first two weeks of February, the daily average ridership remained largely unchanged. But, from February 20 onwards, we have been witnessing nearly 20,000 more passengers every day. They purchase paper QR tickets, usually used during one-time travel, or mobile QR tickets. We have to wait and see how long the surge in the ridership lasts,” an official said.
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