Hyderabad Metro Turns 8, Sees Dip in Commuters

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail completes eight years on Friday, having carried an estimated 80 crore passengers, with an average daily ridership currently pegged at 4.5 lakh. With L&T Metro Rail set to exit by March, the state government is preparing to take over the system by clearing dues amounting to ₹15,000 crore.

Commuters looked forwarded to longer trains and greater frequency. One of the most significant developments is the progress on the long-pending Old City Metro stretch from MGBS to Chandrayangutta, covering 7.5 km.

L&T’s exit from the 60-year concession agreement, signed with the then AP government in 2010, comes barely 16 years into the lease. The primary reason is the Metro’s inability to achieve the projected seven lakh daily commuters, a target essential for profitability. Despite expectations, the Metro Rail never reached that figure.

The Metro Rail system continues to struggle with several issues that limit its patronage: poor last-mile connectivity, the absence of attractive concessions for students, and severe congestion inside the three-coach trains during peak hours.

Before the nationwide lockdown, daily ridership stood at 2.8 lakh. After offices withdrew work-from-home options, numbers improved, and in July 2023 the system crossed 5.1 lakh commuters per day. However, the Metro failed to retain this momentum, and ridership has since dropped by nearly one lakh, largely because authorities did not introduce six-coach trains or expand the fleet.

Commuters have repeatedly demanded extended service hours, more compartments, and the immediate induction of six-coach train sets, especially on the densely crowded Red and Blue corridors. For now, the Metro has no plans to add new coaches, leaving passengers frustrated during peak-hour travel.

Women say that even the ladies’ compartment is packed to capacity, forcing them into general coaches where they struggle for space and safety.

Hyderabad Metro operates 57 train sets, each with three coaches. The Red Line from Miyapur to LB Nagar sees decent ridership with a frequency of four to five minutes. The Blue Line from Raidurg to Nagole carries the highest footfall and urgently requires more trains, though it maintains a frequency of three to four minutes. The Green Line from JBS to MGBS, with 15 stations, records thin footfall and runs trains every 10 to 15 minutes.

Peak-hour congestion continues to be the Metro’s biggest challenge. Many commuters say they are being forced to shift back to private transport. “Though the Green Line is less crowded, I still wait up to 15 minutes for a train,” said Sandeep Midhilesh, who travels from Chikkadpally to Raidurg every day. “It is high time the Metro introduces six-coach trains on the packed Red and Blue lines.”