Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has shattered its own records, announcing its highest-ever annual passenger count for the year 2025. The urban transit system successfully ferried a staggering more than 11.19 crore passengers throughout the year, marking a significant milestone in its decade-long operational history.
A Decade of Growth: From Inception to Record-Breaking Numbers
Since its inaugural run on June 29, 2015, Chennai Metro has become an integral part of the city's transport fabric. The latest data reveals that the cumulative footfall, calculated up to December 31, 2025, has reached an impressive 46.73 crore passengers. This journey, however, witnessed a notable dip during the pandemic-induced lockdowns. The ridership plummeted to just 1.18 crore in 2020 and saw a slow recovery to 2.53 crore in 2021.
The post-pandemic period has been marked by a remarkable and steady resurgence in passenger confidence and usage. The numbers climbed robustly to 6.09 crore in 2022, followed by a jump to 9.11 crore in 2023. The upward trend continued with 10.52 crore passengers in 2024, culminating in the record-breaking figure of 11.19 crore in 2025.
Digital Push and Incentives for Commuters
To encourage the use of cashless and contactless travel, CMRL continues to offer a 20% discount on specific ticketing services. This financial incentive is applicable to journeys paid for via:
- National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC)
- Digital QR tickets purchased through popular platforms like WhatsApp, Paytm, PhonePe, and the official CMRL mobile app.
It is important for passengers to note that this discount is not valid for single-journey paper QR tickets bought at station counters. This strategic move clearly aims to accelerate the shift towards digital transactions and reduce queue times at terminals.
What This Record Means for Chennai's Future
The record ridership in 2025 is a strong indicator of Chennai's growing reliance on its metro system for daily commuting. It underscores the system's success in providing a reliable, efficient, and modern alternative to the city's congested road networks. The consistent year-on-year growth post-2021 reflects not only a return to normalcy but also an expanding user base that trusts the metro for its connectivity.
This achievement provides a solid foundation and justification for future expansions and phase-wise extensions of the metro network. As Chennai continues to grow, a robust and heavily utilized metro system will be central to shaping a sustainable and accessible urban future for the city.
