KOCHI: The Kochi Metro network, comprising the metro rail, water metro and electric feeder buses, closed the year with record-breaking ridership numbers.
In 2025, over 3.65 crore passengers took the metro rail, while over 23.26 lakh hopped onto the water metro. In the case of metro rail, it marked a 4.2% growth from 2024, and a four-fold rise from 2017, when it completed its first year of operations. Over 17.5 crore passengers have travelled on the metro rail so far.
In the case of water metro, the ridership in 2025 was 15% higher from the preceding year and a near 10 lakh jump from 2023, when services commenced. Over 57 lakh passengers have travelled on the water metro in the three years.
The December effect
Like previous years, December remained a rosy period for both services. Water Metro fared better on account of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
“The holiday rush of tourists heading to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry greatly contributed to the surge in water metro’s passenger count. Our daily average has seen a significant jump these past weeks, no doubt, due to the Biennale,” Water Metro COO Sajan P John told TNIE.
Daily rider count hovered consistently above the 10,000 mark, especially towards the tail end of the month (December 24 to 31). “The High Court-Fort Kochi route saw the most demand,” Sajan said.
Meanwhile, the metro rail recorded a total ridership of 32.68 lakh passengers in December, a bulk of it in the tail end. On December 30, the ridership was 1,24,639 passengers, and on New Year’s Eve, over 1.39 lakh.
On New Year’s Day, over 1.6 lakh passengers used the metro network – 1,39,766 took the rail, while 15,000 rode the water metro.
Peak figures
The water metro single-day ridership peaked at 17,058 passengers on December 28 (Sunday), besting the previous record set on December 29, 2024 (15,222). Though the New Year’s Day are still ascertained, KWML’s statement that it recorded its highest-ever daily revenue of `44,67,688 suggests the record was most likely broken again.
The December figures were consistent with the steady patronage seen over recent months, indicating sustained demand for mass transit in the city. Metro rail ridership stood at 31,65,682 in September, 30,37,031 in October, and 31,09,114 in November. The water metro’s monthly ridership figures were not available yet.
“The metro network’s punctual operations, cleanliness, hygiene, and the courteous behaviour of its staff were all instrumental in winning the confidence of the people,” said KMRL MD Loknath Behera. “This confidence was on display aplenty on New Year’s Eve, when the network registered its record ridership,” he said.
He also said the deployment of 15 e-feeder buses connecting metro stations and water metro terminals across multiple routes strengthened first- and last-mile connectivity, helping attract more daily commuters.
The feeder buses, too, gained traction during the festivities, with December 31 recording a single-day high of 6,817 passengers. It was the first time the services were run through New Year’s Eve, with the buses running until 4am.