Bengaluru Metro Ridership Drops 6% After Fare Hike

14 Feb 2025 CW Team

Bengaluru’s Namma Metro witnessed a 6% drop in ridership after implementing a fare hike, with the footfall standing at 828,149. This decline is sharper than the 1-2% fall anticipated by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

Despite the drop, BMRCL expects to generate an additional $660,000 to $720,000 (Rs 55-60 lakh) per day from the fare revision. However, commuters have expressed dissatisfaction, calling the hike excessive and burdensome.

A look at previous ridership numbers highlights the decline:

January 6: 8,61,593

January 13: 7,84,539 (eve of Makara Sankranti)

January 20: 8,79,537

January 27: 9,09,756

February 3: 8,70,147

Metro Now Among the Most Expensive in India? BJP MP Tejasvi Surya raised concerns over the fare hike in Lok Sabha, criticizing the near doubling of fares at several stations. He argued that the price increase contradicts the metro’s goal of providing an affordable and sustainable transit system.

Under the new structure, the maximum fare has jumped from Rs 60 to ?90, while the minimum balance on smart cards has increased from Rs 50 to ?90. The revised ticket prices range from Rs 10 for up to 2 km to Rs 90 for distances beyond 25 km.

With Bengaluru’s metro being a key mode of transport for daily commuters, the coming weeks will determine whether ridership stabilizes or if the fare hike has a lasting impact.

Infrastructure Transport

18 Dec 2025

RVNL secures Rs 1.65 billion railway bridge project from North Eastern Railway

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) has received a Letter of Award (LoA) from North Eastern Railway for a Rs 1.65 billion railway infrastructure project, strengthening its order book and showcasing its expertise in complex railway construction.The project involves constructing the substructure of a major railway bridge over the Gandak River, located between Paniyahwa and Valmikinagar stations. This is part of the doubling of the Gorakhpur Cantt–Valmikinagar railway section, aimed at improving line capacity and operational efficiency.The bridge will feature 14 spans of 61 metres each, built on double D-t..

Raebareli’s Modern Coach Factory rolls out 15,000th railway coach

The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) at Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh has achieved a major manufacturing milestone with the rollout of its 15,000th railway coach on December 15, the Ministry of Railways said.In a press note, the ministry said that MCF has already produced 1,310 coaches in the current financial year 2025–26, reflecting sustained high output at one of Indian Railways’ most advanced passenger coach manufacturing units.Established in 2007 at Lalganj in Raebareli district, MCF was built at a cost of Rs 31.92 billion with an initial annual production capacity of 1,000 coaches. The factor..

RailTel wins Rs 260.88 million IT infrastructure order from VOC Port

Navratna public sector undertaking RailTel Corporation of India has secured an IT infrastructure order worth Rs 260.88 million from V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOC Port), strengthening its presence in port-led digital transformation projects.According to an exchange filing dated December 16, 2025, RailTel has received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) from VOC Port Authority for the implementation of advanced IT infrastructure at the port. The project is domestic in nature and is scheduled to be completed by August 15, 2026.The company said the order has been awarded in the normal course of ..