Two newly opened corridors of Mumbai Metro have begun operations on markedly different notes, with commuter uptake varying sharply between the two in their first week.
Data accessed till Tuesday showed
that Line 9, connecting Dahisar East and Mira Road, emerged as the busier of the two, reported The Indian Express. The four-station stretch recorded an average daily ridership of 23,096 passengers. In contrast, Line 2B, which runs between Mandale and Diamond Garden and covers five stations, saw a significantly lower daily average of 3,992 commuters.
As per Indian Express, officials attributed the muted footfall, particularly on Line 2B, to the ongoing summer vacation period when overall travel demand typically dips. This seasonal decline has also been reflected across the Metro network. The older Line 2A logged an average daily ridership of 1.53 lakh passengers, while Line 7 recorded around 1.12 lakh. In March, the two corridors together had crossed the three-lakh mark on weekdays, indicating a noticeable drop in recent weeks.
Line 9, an extension of Line 7, was reportedly projected to draw between 50,000-1,00,000 passengers daily. According to officials, ridership is expected to pick up once schools and offices resume fully and with the onset of the monsoon, when public transport demand generally rises.
A gradual shift towards digital ticketing is also evident. In the first week of operations, only 35% of journeys were undertaken using paper tickets. During the same period, 3,844 National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC) were issued, signalling increasing adoption of cashless travel options.
