CHENNAI: CMRL has recorded a notable milestone of over one crore trips being made in a single month for the first time in July 2025. The 1.03 crore trips recorded in July is also obviously its highest-ever monthly ridership since operations began. The milestone comes as the system completes 10 years of commercial service, signalling a steady rise in public transit adoption across the city.
From July 1 to July 31, a total of 1,03,78,835 passengers used the metro, up nearly 11.6 lakh from June, marking the sharpest month-on-month increase this year. The surge was punctuated by a new single-day record on July 4, when 3,74,948 commuters boarded the metro - the highest daily footfall during the month. CMRL has attributed the rise to improved last-mile connectivity, consistent service reliability, and growing public preference for mass rapid transit.
The upward trend has been visible throughout 2025, with monthly ridership climbing from 86.99 lakh in January to over 1.03 crore in July. March and June had each seen figures of over 92 lakh, but July’s numbers set a new benchmark.
According to data, a total of 10.52 crore people availed the services last year against 9.11 crore in 2023. The patronage in 2024 is nearly one third of the total 35.53 crore passengers availing Metro Rail services for more than nine years since the services began on June 29, 2015.