CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail has emerged as a core element of urban mobility carrying more than 46.7 crore passengers since operation began in 2015 even as ridership was disrupted during the Covid pandemic years. This highlighted how the metro has moved from a supplementary service to a daily necessity for large sections of the city’s workforce.
In 2025 alone, passenger numbers touched a record 11.19 crore, the highest annual tally since services commenced. The metro’s ridership trajectory has mirrored both the expansion of the network and broader economic cycles. Between its launch on June 29, 2015 and the end of 2018, the system carried 2.8 crore passengers.
Ridership accelerated sharply in 2019, crossing 3.28 crore, before collapsing in 2020 to 1.18 crore as lockdowns brought travel to a near standstill for much of the year. Passenger volumes recovered gradually in 2021, rising to 2.53 crore, despite intermittent restrictions during the second wave of Covid-19.