Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) announced on Saturday that the Bengaluru Metro achieved a record footfall of over 9 lakh on Friday, largely thanks to Indian pop sensation Diljit Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati’ concert.
According to BMRCL, out of a total of 9,20,562 record boardings, Line 1 (Purple Line) had 4.39 lakh riders and Line 2 (Green Line) had 3.12 lakh riders while Nadaprabhu Kempegowda interchange station had 1.67 lakh riders. Along with this, Bengaluru Metro broke its own ridership record of 9.17 lakh on August 14, 2024. The new milestone also eclipsed the previous high of 8.26 lakh recorded on August 6, 2024 and surpassed the 8.25 lakh passengers recorded on Independence Day 2022.
Apart from Dosanjh’s ‘Dil-Luminati’ concert at the Bangalore International Exhibition Center (BIEC) on Friday night, BMRCL said the ridership may also increase due to the weekend rush.
“Since the Green Line is connected to Madavara (BIEC), thousands of music lovers gathered for the concert had access to the metro. It coincides with a weekend and there is an increase in the number of riders on Friday, possibly for people to travel to their hometowns,” said a BMRCL spokesperson.
Bengaluru Traffic Police had also issued an advisory asking people to use public transport to reach BIEC, expecting high traffic congestion on Tumkur Road.
On November 7, BMRCL opened the 3.14 km Namma Metro Green Line from Nagasandra to Madavara (BIEC) for commercial operations. The new stretch has three stations including Manjunathnagar, Chikkabidarakallu and Madavara (BIEC). The Metro to BIEC serves as a significant relief to commuters to access the center which hosts international conferences, exhibitions and other events that attract people from all parts of Bengaluru. The line also connects the industrial centers of Penya and Yesvantpur on Tumkuru Road in the north.
Meanwhile, on August 14, 2024, the record was attributed to the extended holiday weekend starting on August 15, with many commuters rushing to railway stations and bus terminals for their hometowns.
The surge in ridership earlier on August 6 was mainly driven by heavy rains across Bengaluru, prompting commuters to opt for the Metro instead of navigating the city’s congested and waterlogged roads.
Meanwhile, on the previous year’s record 15 August 2022, the Independence Day flower show at Lalbagh and a large Congress procession made a huge impact. In the ‘Freedom March’, which attracted about one lakh participants, many chose the metro route to avoid road traffic.