Pune: Did You Know? 4.57 Crore Punekars Took the Metro in 2024, Generating a ₹76.58 Crore in Revenue! | File Photo
While 2024 saw Punekars getting a little relief on the traffic front as Metro Lines 1 and 2 came to their rescue, the ridership and revenue of both lines, along with the collective performance of the Metro, have shown great growth. The numbers paint a positive picture as Punekars chose public transport in large numbers in 2024, with a total ridership of 4.5721 crore, a significant figure compared to the 44 crore Punekars who used PMPML buses in the last financial year.
Ridership trends in 2024
Pune Metro’s ridership increased significantly in 2024 and continued to rise throughout the year. The number of riders rose from 17.39 lakh in January to 17.77 lakh in February. The number of riders increased from 18 lakh to 23 lakh by March and April, respectively. Throughout the summer, the trend persisted, with June seeing 29.24 lakh and July seeing 31.20 lakh. With 48.19 lakh passengers, October witnessed the highest ridership, while November saw a slight decline with 43.08 lakh passengers. As of December 28, there were 53.36 lakh riders overall, for a total of 4.57 crore passengers in 2024.
If we look at the lines, Line 1 ridership ranged between 7 lakh to 21 lakh, while Line 2 performed much better, always staying above 10 lakh in 2024 and even crossing 30 lakh in September.
Line 1 vs Line 2
Pune Metro Line 2 connects Vanaz to Ramwadi, while Line 1 runs between Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Swargate. The reason Line 2 has outperformed Line 1 is that it connects residential hubs such as Kothrud, Karve Nagar, and Shivajinagar with commercial areas such as Koregaon Park and Ramwadi, besides providing relief from heavy traffic congestion in these areas. Whereas Line 1 faces challenges like incomplete exit point construction and limited feeder connectivity, which is affecting its ridership.
Pune Metro revenue
In 2024, Pune Metro demonstrated impressive growth in its revenue, with a consistent upward trend throughout the year. Starting with ₹2.66 crore in January, the metro’s earnings steadily increased each month. The revenue increased to ₹2.62 crore by February and ₹3.50 crore in March. In April, the surge persisted, as earnings skyrocketed to ₹3.80 crore. June came in second with ₹4.59 crore, after May’s ₹4.24 crore. The metro’s revenue increased even more in the second half of the year, hitting ₹4.98 crore in July and ₹5.79 crore in August.
Earnings peaked at ₹7.52 crore in October after reaching ₹7.07 crore in September. By December 28, the year’s total revenue had grown to an amazing ₹76.58 crore, with November bringing in ₹6.80 crore.
In 2024, Line 2 revenue dominated Line 1 revenue. While Line 1 revenue was at ₹30.04 crore, Line 2 revenue was at ₹46.54 crore.
