With 9.6 lakh passengers boarding on June 4, Bengaluru Metro saw its highest-ever day ridership as a result of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) triumph celebrations, which attracted enormous crowds. BMRCL data shows that 4.7 lakh people boarded the Purple Line on Wednesday, 2.8 lakh boarded the Green Line, and 2.03 lakh boarded the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Majestic interchange station. On August 14, 2024, the previous ridership record of 9.17 lakh was set. There was a huge rush at metro stations in the city centre as thousands of supporters swarmed the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had to close the metro stations at Central College, Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park, and MG Road due to the extreme traffic.
The BMRCL also operated four train services: two short-loop trains from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta and two from Majestic to Baiyappanahalli. To ease traffic, a number of services were halted at MG Road. According to BMRCL Chief Public Relations Officer B L Yashavanth Chavan, the corporation was monitoring the situation and was willing to increase services in response to demand. According to a senior BMRCL official, stoppages were cancelled at the Cubbon Park and Vidhana Soudha metro stations to prevent crowds.
Also Read: RCB Victory Parade Stampede: Metro Stations Shut Amid Massive Rush in Bengaluru (Watch Video)
BMRCL shut down Cubbon Park and Dr. BR Ambedkar Vidhana Soudha stations at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. These two stations' token and QR ticket vending operations were ceased. All stations were reopened and regular operations resumed around 8:30 p.m. The overall number of boarding passengers was 8.7 lakh as of 9 p.m.
Currently, Bengaluru Metro runs a 73-kilometer network that consists of: Green Line: Nagasandra to Silk Institute (30 km, 29 stations) and Purple Line: Challaghatta to Whitefield (42.17 km, 37 stations).
Metro ridership fell by almost one lakh commuters each day after the fee hike that was put into effect on February 9, which increased ticket prices by up to 71 percent. The average number of riders on weekdays before the hike was approximately 8.5 lakh.