Kochi Metro Rail Ltd and Kochi Water Metro Ltd will extend operating hours on December 31 to manage the festive rush and ensure safe travel after New Year celebrations, officials said.

Metro services on the Aluva–Tripunithura corridor will operate until 1 am on New Year’s Eve, with trains running in both directions. Officials said the extension of service hours has been finalised, while the frequency of trains during the late-night period is still being assessed.

Water Metro services will be extended until 4 am on December 31. However, details on routes and service frequency during the extended hours are yet to be finalised and will be announced closer to the date.

The decision follows consistently strong ridership during the Christmas–New Year period in recent years. In December last year, Kochi Metro recorded monthly ridership of over 3.2 million passengers, generating revenue of more than Rs 100 million. On New Year’s Eve 2023 alone, around 0.13 million commuters travelled on the metro.

This compares with December 2023, when the metro carried about 2.959 million passengers and earned revenue of Rs 92.5 million.

Water Metro services, particularly on the High Court–Fort Kochi route, have also seen a steady rise in passenger numbers during December over the past two years. Officials attributed the trend to the holiday season and major cultural events such as the Kochi Biennale.

According to recent data, the Water Metro carries an average of around 10,000 passengers daily.