Hyderabad Metro Sees 25% Ridership Surge Despite 21% Revenue Dip

Speedy summary

• Ridership Achievements: Hyderabad Metro Rail witnessed it’s highest-ever daily ridership of 5.63 lakh and crossed five lakh daily ridership for nearly 70 days in the financial year 2024-25. A total of approximately 50 crore passenger journeys have been made since its inception.
• Revenue & Losses: L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad reported a decrease in revenue to ₹1,108.54 crore (-21%) for FY 2024-25 compared to ₹1,399.31 crore the previous year, while losses grew by 13% to ₹625.88 crore from ₹555.04 crore recorded earlier. Revenue thru fares amounted to ₹627 crore and an additional ₹485 crore from Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) assets like advertising and station retail activities.
• Sustainability Efforts: The metro has met 12% of its energy needs via solar power and installed station-based rainwater harvesting systems saving about 60 million litres annually as part of a long-term goal toward achieving ‘Carbon Neutrality’ by 2040.
• Infrastructure Upgrades: Conversion into Open-loop Ticketing System is planned for FY 2025-26 to digitize payments further. Maintenance works on trains are underway; overhauling completed for some rolling stock during the reporting period.
• Environmental Impact: Noteworthy benefits include fuel savings (38M liters), CO2 emission reductions (~109 million kg), IGBC Platinum certifications at all stations, and regenerative braking producing energy savings worth ~45 million units.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The Hyderabad Metro’s remarkable rise in ridership signals strong public demand amidst urban mobility challenges, potentially underscoring its impact as an affordable transport solution for india’s growing cities. Though, financial losses despite record commute figures point to macro-economic strains or profitability thresholds tied with operational totals across TOD projects alongside improvements necessary meeting sustainability inputs/progress forward uncovered attention alignment fixing current terms..

Such advancements including reducing net power carbon planning deliberate-focused funded aims accessibility mengagement mirrors mutual benefits read moremobility.