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Pune Metro achieves record ridership amid Ganpati festival rush on Saturday
Pune Metro hit a record 243,435 passengers on Sept 14, boosted by Ganpati festivities and extended services, surpassing previous highs.
Amid the Ganpati festival rush, the Pune Metro registered a significant rise in ridership on Saturday, September 14 with 243,435 passengers travelling between 6 am and midnight that day. This marks the highest number of passengers in a single day, breaking the previous record of 199,439 passengers on June 30 this year during the Wari procession. Before that, the highest metro ridership was recorded on August 15, 2023 with 168,012 passengers.
Saturday saw a surge in ridership as several Punekars took the opportunity to visit Ganesh pandals due to the weekend, not to mention extended metro services and police permission to operate speakers until midnight from September 12 to 17. The trend is expected to continue on Sunday with the added benefit of Monday, September 16 being declared a public holiday on the occasion of Eid.
Furthermore, the decision to extend metro services to commuters travelling between Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune has increased ridership considerably. The extension made it easier for citizens to visit various Ganesh pandals during the festive season, contributing to the surge in metro usage.
There are many prominent Ganesh pandals located near the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Therefore, footfalls were higher at the PMC metro station as compared to other metro stations. On Saturday, the PMC metro station recorded the highest footfalls with 41,475 passengers; followed by PCMC with 39,682 passengers; Ramwadi with 19,227 passengers; Deccan Gymkhana with 15,653 passengers; Pune Railway Station with 13,926 passengers; District Court with 13,761 passengers; and Vanaz with 11,982 passengers. On Saturday, the top 10 metro stations in terms of ridership were: PCMC, PMC, Bhosari, Pune Railway Station, Ramwadi, District Court, Vanaz, Deccan Gymkhana and Bhosari.
The record-breaking ridership on Saturday – the highest since the beginning of metro services - generated total revenue of ₹2,973,589. Line 1 (Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation/PCMC to District Court) and line 2 (Vanaz to Ramwadi) accounted for 94,848 and 148,587 passengers, respectively.
Hemant Sonawane, executive director (administration and public relations), said, “This is the third time Pune Metro has recorded its highest ridership. We expect to break the record again on the 10th day of Ganesh immersion (September 18) as Pune Metro will operate continuously for 24 hours starting from 6 am on September 17 till 6 am on September 18.”
Suvarna Shivekar, a resident of Wadgaon Sheri, said, “Since it was the weekend, we planned to visit the Ganesh pandals. We travelled from Ramwadi to PMC and it was a very good experience. Without any traffic congestion, we reached the PMC metro station in just 20 minutes. Last year, we used our car and faced parking issues. This year, without worrying about parking, we enjoyed visiting the pandals. Thanks to Pune Metro.”
Vivek N Bhide, a Pune resident, posted on the social media platform ‘X’ that what was once only limited to discussion has now become a reality for Punekars and that they are wholeheartedly embracing this world-class mode of transport, designed specifically for them.
The Pune Metro is running from 6 am to midnight between September 10 and 17. On the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi, the Pune Metro will run continuously for 24 hours from 6 am on September 17 to 6 am the next day on September 18.
