Pune Metro sees significant decline in ridership amid Diwali festivities
Oct 31, 2024 08:40 AM IST
Daily metro ridership, which was approximately 1.74 lakh on October 26, steadily decreased to around 1.05 lakh by October 29
PUNE The Pune Metro has seen a significant drop in ridership over the past few days, largely due to the Diwali holiday season. Daily ridership, which was approximately 1.74 lakh on October 26, steadily decreased to around 1.05 lakh by October 29.
The decrease reflects a temporary change in commuting behaviour, with reduced travel for work and other daily activities as many residents take time off for the festive period.
A senior official from Pune Metro said, “Due to Diwali, colleges are closed, and many employees have taken leave to travel to their home towns. This has led to a drop in ridership, which we expect to return to normal after the Diwali vacation.”
Pune Metro operates on two main lines, with Line-1 connecting Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate and Line-2 running from Vanaz to Ramwadi. Both lines experienced a similar downward trend. On October 26, Line 1 recorded 77,254 passengers, which dropped to 48,393 by October 29. Line 2 started with 83,387 passengers on October 26 and declined to 57,339 by October 29. The overall ridership from both lines fell from 1,60,641 on October 26 to 1,05,732 on October 29. This pattern is expected to reverse as Diwali concludes, and regular commuting routines are likely to resume shortly thereafter.
No service from 6pm to 10pm on Friday
On Friday, November 1, due to Laxmi Poojan, Pune Metro services will operate from 6 am to 6 pm, with no service between 6 pm and 10 p.m. Regular operations will resume on Saturday, November 2, 2024, with the usual schedule from 6 am to 10pm, read a statement released by the Metro.
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