Festive rush pushes Metro ridership to 9.33 lakh on Thursday

Kolkata: With the city already steeped in festive fervour and pandal hoppers crowding the streets, Kolkata Metro Railway is witnessing record-breaking ridership. On Thursday, Tritiya, the network ferried 9.33 lakh commuters, coming close to its all-time single-day record of 9.61 lakh, set on Sasthi last year (October 9, 2024).

Thursday’s ridership marked a sharp jump from last year’s Tritiya figure of 5.40 lakh. The north-south corridor, or Blue Line (Dakshineswar–Shahid Khudiram), alone carried 6.77 lakh passengers, while the Green Line (Howrah Maidan–Salt Lake Sector V) registered 2.32 lakh. According to officials, commuters are increasingly preferring the Metro to avoid traffic snarls and enjoy a safe, cost-effective and comfortable ride across the city.

The trend has been evident throughout the week. On Dwitiya (September 24), ridership crossed 8.36 lakh, higher than last year’s 7.93 lakh. The Blue Line accounted for over 6.10 lakh commuters, while the Green Line ferried 2.05 lakh. On Pratipad (September 22), the count touched 8.69 lakh, surpassing the previous year’s 7.89 lakh, with 6.34 lakh on the Blue Line and 2.13 lakh on the Green Line. Metro authorities expect the daily count to rise in the coming days. To meet the increased demand, they will operate 3,021 special services between Panchami (September 27) and Dashami (October 2) across the Blue, Green, Purple (Joka-Majerhat), and Yellow (Noapara-Airport) Lines—651 more than last year.

Officials estimate that the six-day Puja operations will offer a carrying capacity of 90.63 lakh passengers, more than 120 per cent higher than the actual ridership of 41.15 lakh recorded during last year’s festivities.