KOCHI: For the first time since its inception, single-day ridership of Kochi Metro crossed one lakh passengers on Thursday, thanks to the extension of services up to Thykoodam.
As per KMRL authorities, till 9 pm on Thursday, more than one lakh passengers travelled in Kochi Metro. With two more hours to wind up the service, the final figures are likely to go up, they said.
The previous highest ridership registered was on September 7 when 99,680 passengers travelled in the Metro that day. Prior to that, it was on June 26, 2017, the first Sunday after the commissioning of the project, that Kochi Metro witnessed the highest footfall with the figure touching 98,310.
However, it was mainly joy riders who contributed to the record figures in 2017 as Metro was new to the city. The average ridership before the service extension was 45,000.
The services were extended up to Thykoodam on September 3. Since then, nearly seven lakh passengers have travelled in Kochi Metro, helping it to attain operational profit.