KOCHI: Kochi Metro ridership crossed 10 crore on December 29, a major milestone in its sixth year of operation.
Now, 10,33,59,586 people have used the service between June 19, 2017, and December 29, 2023. For the first time in its short history, revenue generated helped the company cover operating expenses last year.
There was a significant increase in the number of passengers this year, said Loknath Behera, managing director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL).
“Continuous efforts by authorities with travel passes and offers, including for students, have helped attract more passengers,” he said.
Total ridership crossed five crore on December 28, 2021. Seven months later, on July 14, 2022, the number crossed six crore. In the last one and a half years, four crore people have travelled by Kochi Metro.
Average daily ridership increased to 94,000 in December from 79,130 in January 2023. This year, daily ridership crossed one lakh 40 times, with the highest ridership, of 132,161, recorded on October 21, 2023, when KMRL also earned the highest revenue in terms of tickets.
Daily passenger numbers are expected to cross one lakh with the commissioning of Tripunithura station. Meanwhile, construction of Kochi Metro’s second phase, comprising an 11.2km elevated line from Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium station to Infopark, via Kakkanad, with 11 stations is expected to be completed by December 2025.
The stations on the stretch are JLN Stadium, Palarivattom Junction, Palarivattom Bypass, Chembumukku, Vazhakkala, Padamugal, Kakkanad Junction, Cochin SEZ, Chittethukara, KINFRA (formerly Rajagiri), InfoPark 1/Smart City 1, and InfoPark 2/Smart City 2. Construction of the pink line is estimated to cost Rs 1,957 crore.