Pune Metro Records 6 Lakh Passengers on Ganesh Immersion Day, Highest Ever in a Single Day
Pune, 8th September 2025: The Pune Metro witnessed an unprecedented rush on the final day of Ganeshotsav, with nearly 5.9 lakh passengers using the service on Saturday. According to officials, this was the highest single-day ridership since the Metro began operations.
To manage the immersion crowds, Maha Metro kept the trains running continuously for 41 hours, starting from 6 am on Saturday. In this period, 866 trips were operated, with additional services introduced on high-demand routes.
Mandai and Deccan Gymkhana See Maximum Rush
The biggest footfall was reported at Mandai station, which saw more than 65,000 commuters, while Deccan Gymkhana recorded close to 64,000. Commuters at these busy stations said that while trains were frequent, overcrowding caused delays in entering and exiting platforms.
Steps Taken to Manage the Crowd
Maha Metro officials said additional staff were deployed at key locations to ensure smooth movement of passengers. “The frequency of trains was increased, especially between Civil Court and Swargate, and Civil Court to Vanaz during peak hours. Passengers were also encouraged to use online ticketing to save time,” an official said.
The official added that Metro services had already been witnessing high usage during the festival week. “For the past five days of Ganeshotsav, ridership stayed above 3 lakh daily. On the immersion day, the number surged to nearly 6 lakh.”
Metro Usage on the Rise
Shravan Hardikar, Managing Director of Maha Metro, said the festival ridership reflects growing public trust in the service. “We are glad that such a large number of people preferred the Metro during Ganeshotsav. The overall footfall has been steadily increasing over the past few months, and we are committed to further improving services for the convenience of commuters.”
Earlier last weekend, the Metro had also witnessed a rush, with 3.6 lakh passengers on Saturday and 3.3 lakh on Sunday. In total, over 6.9 lakh people used the service across those two days, with Mandai and PMC stations reporting the heaviest traffic.
