Pune: Pune Metro witnessed a significant year-on-year rise in passenger traffic and revenue in September, with ridership increasing by more than 23% compared to the same month last year, while revenue rose by over 22%. The Metro recorded 93,58,603 passenger journeys in September 2026, compared with 75,92,319 rides in September 2025, while monthly revenue increased from ₹11.70 crore to ₹14.32 crore.
The increase marks a rise of 17,66,284 passenger journeys, or 23.26%, over the corresponding month last year. Revenue increased by ₹2,61,37,189, from ₹11,70,02,736 in September 2025 to ₹14,31,73,925 in September 2026, representing a 22.37% increase.
The September 2026 figures also became the highest monthly ridership and revenue recorded by Pune Metro during the 13-month period from September 2025 to September 2026. While the year-on-year growth reflects a broader increase in Metro usage, the figures received a major push from the heavy passenger movement during the Ganeshotsav period this year.
September 2025 to September 2026: A sharp rise in one year
The comparison examined by The Free Press Journal between the September 2025 and September 2026 figures shows the extent to which passenger traffic has grown over the past year.
In September 2025, Pune Metro recorded 75.92 lakh passenger journeys, generating revenue of ₹11.70 crore. 12 months later, in September 2026, ridership had climbed to 93.59 lakh, while revenue increased to ₹14.32 crore.
This means that the Metro carried nearly 17.66 lakh more passenger journeys in September 2026 than it did in September 2025. Revenue also increased by more than ₹2.61 crore during the same period.
The growth was recorded across both Metro corridors, although Line 1 registered the more substantial increase.
In September 2025, Line 1 recorded 34,45,352 rides, while Line 2 recorded 41,46,767 rides. In September 2026, Line 1 ridership increased to 45,83,593, while Line 2 recorded 47,75,010 rides.
Line 1 therefore registered an increase of approximately 33% over the year, while Line 2 recorded a rise of about 15.2%.
The change has also narrowed the gap between the two corridors. In September 2025, Line 2 had around 7.01 lakh more rides than Line 1. By September 2026, the difference had narrowed considerably, with Line 2 recording only around 1.91 lakh more passenger journeys than Line 1.
The revenue increase was also visible on both corridors. Line 1 revenue increased from approximately ₹5.58 crore in September 2025 to ₹7.42 crore in September 2026, while Line 2 revenue rose from approximately ₹6.12 crore to ₹6.90 crore.
Ganeshotsav gives September 2026 a major push
While the year-on-year figures show a clear improvement in Metro usage, the September 2026 data also shows that the growth was heavily influenced by the Ganeshotsav period.
During the first half of September, daily ridership was comparatively moderate, generally remaining between around 1.85 lakh and 3.20 lakh passenger journeys.
The pattern changed sharply from September 17, when ridership crossed 3.72 lakh. It increased further to 3.87 lakh on September 18, nearly 4.78 lakh on September 19 and 4.38 lakh on September 21.
The passenger rush reached its highest point towards the peak of the festival period.
On September 23, the Metro recorded 4,69,513 passenger journeys, followed by 4,30,656 on September 24. The biggest single-day figure came on September 25, when the Metro recorded 5,80,280 passenger journeys.
The same day also produced the highest daily revenue of the month at Rs 85.62 lakh.
The scale of the Ganeshotsav-period movement becomes clearer when the nine-day period from September 17 to September 25 is considered. During these nine days, Pune Metro recorded approximately 39.63 lakh passenger journeys, accounting for around 42.3% of the entire September ridership.
In other words, more than two-fifths of all passenger journeys recorded by the Metro during the entire month took place during this nine-day period.
Revenue followed the same pattern, with several days during the period crossing ₹60 lakh and reaching more than ₹70 lakh. Daily revenue eventually peaked at ₹85.62 lakh on September 25.
Peak-day traffic more than triples compared with September 13
The difference between normal passenger movement and the festival-period rush was particularly visible during the latter half of the month.
On September 13, Pune Metro recorded 1,85,041 passenger journeys. 12 days later, on September 25, the figure had risen to 5,80,280.
The September 25 passenger count was therefore more than three times the ridership recorded on September 13.
Even when compared with the already elevated ridership of 3,19,915 recorded on September 16, the September 25 figure represented an increase of more than 81%.
However, the rise was concentrated around the festival period. After the peak on September 25, ridership dropped sharply to 2,46,575 on September 26 and 2,09,488 on September 27. It subsequently recovered to 2,67,433 on September 28 and 2,74,395 on September 29.
September 2026 highest in the 13-month period
The September 2026 performance also stands out when compared with the rest of the supplied 13-month data.
September 2025 had previously recorded the highest ridership during the period, with 75,92,319 passenger journeys. August 2026 followed with 74,24,433 rides and revenue of ₹11,33,98,588.
September 2026 surpassed both these figures by a significant margin.
The Metro’s passenger traffic had touched a low of 55,21,880 rides in February 2026, when revenue stood at ₹8,47,61,816. From that point, ridership gradually recovered through March, April, May and June before the increase became more pronounced in July and August.
Ridership rose to 65,22,039 in July, followed by 74,24,433 in August, before reaching 93,58,603 in September.
This means that between June and September, passenger journeys increased from 57,49,924 to 93,58,603, while revenue increased from ₹9,16,80,416 to ₹14,31,73,925.
The strongest month-on-month jump came between August and September, when ridership increased by approximately 26.1%.
Revenue rises alongside passenger traffic
The revenue figures broadly followed the movement in passenger traffic throughout the period.
In September 2025, Pune Metro generated ₹11,70,02,736 from 75,92,319 passenger journeys. In September 2026, revenue rose to ₹14,31,73,925, alongside 93,58,603 passenger journeys.
The September 2026 revenue was therefore around ₹2.61 crore higher than the corresponding figure from the previous year.
The trend was also visible during the recovery in the months leading up to September. Revenue increased from ₹10,14,57,776 in July to ₹11,33,98,588 in August, before rising sharply to ₹14,31,73,925 in September.
Compared with July, September revenue was therefore higher by approximately ₹4.17 crore, while ridership increased from 65,22,039 to 93,58,603, a rise of approximately 43.5%.
Metro sees stronger growth on Line 1
The year-on-year comparison also highlights a particularly strong increase on Line 1.
Line 1 carried 34,45,352 passengers in September 2025. This increased to 45,83,593 in September 2026, an increase of approximately 11.38 lakh passenger journeys.
On the other side, Line 2 increased from 41,46,767 rides in September 2025 to 47,75,010 in September 2026, an increase of approximately 6.28 lakh rides.
As a result, the overall year-on-year increase of 17.66 lakh passenger journeys was contributed by growth on both corridors, with Line 1 accounting for a substantial portion of the increase.
The corresponding revenue growth also reflected the increase in passenger traffic, with Line 1 revenue rising from around ₹5.58 crore to ₹7.42 crore, while Line 2 revenue increased from around ₹6.12 crore to ₹6.90 crore.
Ganeshotsav changes the monthly picture
The September figures ultimately tell two connected stories.
The first is the year-on-year growth in Metro usage. From 75.92 lakh passenger journeys in September 2025, ridership rose to 93.59 lakh in September 2026, while revenue increased from ₹11.70 crore to ₹14.32 crore.
The second is the extraordinary concentration of passenger traffic during this year’s Ganeshotsav period. The Metro’s daily ridership, which was largely below three lakh during the early part of September, climbed sharply after September 17 and eventually touched 5.80 lakh passenger journeys on September 25.
The festival period consequently played a major role in taking the monthly total beyond the previous September high.
For Pune Metro, September 2026 therefore represents both a significant year-on-year increase and a festival-driven peak. The system recorded nearly 23% more passenger journeys and over 22% more revenue than in September 2025, while the Ganeshotsav rush produced some of the highest daily passenger and revenue figures recorded during the period.
While speaking to The Free Press Journal, Dhanraj Gokhale, PRO, Pune Metro, said, “September 2026 has been a significant month for Pune Metro in terms of both passenger ridership and revenue. Compared with September last year, we have seen a substantial increase in passenger journeys, and the Ganeshotsav period contributed significantly to this growth. The sharp rise in ridership during the festival period shows that passengers increasingly used Metro for their travel during one of Pune’s busiest festive periods. The increase in both ridership and revenue compared with last year is an encouraging indicator of the growing use of the Metro system.”
