'Lower-than-expected': Namma Metro's average daily ridership yet to reach 7 lakh

Metro trains in Bengaluru ferried 6,64,048 lakh passengers per day on average in November, significantly lower than the expected target of 7-7.5 lakh after the Purple Line fully opened in October. 

When the 1.8-km Baiyapanahalli-KR Pura and the 2.1-km Kengeri-Challaghatta sections of the Purple Line opened on October 9, authorities had hoped that average daily ridership would rise to 7-7.5 lakh. This wasn’t misplaced. 

The Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura section was of crucial importance because it connected the standalone Whitefield line to the rest of the metro network. With the opening of these two small sections, the Purple Line became 44-km long, connecting Challaghatta in the west to Whitefield (Kadugodi) in the east. 

Before that, the metro’s average daily ridership was 6.2 lakh. In October, this figure rose to 6,40,441 as a total of 1,98,53,691 passengers travelled by the metro that month. October 9 saw the highest ridership at 7,66,880. 

Officials and public transport activists hoped that average daily ridership would easily cross 7 lakh in November, the first full month since the last two sections opened. 

However, the November ridership data shows that average daily numbers rose by just about 25,000. 

Namma Metro earned Rs 51.22 crore in fare revenue in November. The highest single-day fare revenue was Rs 2.08 crore on November 2, as per the data. 

While Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) hasn’t yet commented on the lower-than-expected average daily ridership, many commuters attributed it to the Deepavali holidays in November, when a large number of people moved out of the city. 

Some commuters couldn’t believe the numbers and pointed to the overcrowded trains, especially during morning and evening rush hours. 

The BMRCL has dedicated 33 six-coach trainsets for the Purple Line and even runs Green Line trains on the corridor to clear the rush. 

The BMRCL cannot deploy more trains on the Purple Line until late 2024 when it expects to receive new coaches from China’s CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd. The Chinese company is making the coaches in Bengal in partnership with Titagargh Wagons Limited.