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Pune Metro sees record ridership on immersion day
On Anant Chaturdashi, September 6, the metro registered a record ridership of 590,944 passengers as trains operated non-stop for 41 hours till 11pm
Pune Metro ferried 1,327,139 commuters between September 4 and 6 during the Ganesh festival, generating a revenue of ₹19.44 crore. On Anant Chaturdashi, September 6, the metro registered a record ridership of 590,944 passengers as trains operated non-stop for 41 hours till 11pm. In comparison, Pune Metro had recorded 346,633 passengers on Anant Chaturdashi last year (September 17, 2024) with services extended for 24 hours to manage crowds.
Mandai metro station near the core festival area reported the highest passenger footfall of 169,272 over the three days. Mandai station reported a ridership of 54,613 on September 4; 49,112 on September 5; and 65,542 on September 6. Close on the heels of Mandai station, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) metro station handled 40,970; 36,365; and 48,363 passengers on September 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Shivajinagar metro station recorded more than 1.08 lakh riders over the three days. Dapodi metro station recorded 14,207 commuters on September 4; 11,651 on September 5; and 64,703 on September 6. Ramwadi, Civil Court, Vanaz and Swargate metro stations, too, reported heavy festival rush as they fall on immersion routes. By contrast, outer metro stations such as Bhosari Phata, Khadki, M G Road, and Phugewadi saw relatively low ridership with each of these metro stations reporting below 3,000 riders on an average.
Extended services
Metro services were extended to manage the festive rush. Between August 27 and 29, metro trains ran from 6 am to 11pm. Between August 30 and September 5, metro services continued till 2 am. On Anant Chaturdashi, the metro operated nonstop for 41 hours till 11 pm.
New underground route
This was the first Ganesh festival when the underground metro route between District Court and Swargate was operational. District Court, Kasba Peth, Mandai and Swargate metro stations fall in the core festival zone and offered direct connectivity to major Ganesh pandals.
Maha-Metro managing director, Shravan Hardikar, said, “Pune Metro ran special services for the Ganesh festival and received a great response. We thank all the citizens. On Anant Chaturdashi, the metro operated nonstop for 41 hours and was used by over 5.9 lakh passengers. This was possible with support from the staff, police and other departments. Citizens should use the metro regularly for safe, fast and eco-friendly travel.”
