The Daily Brief India's metro ridership problem
Feb 26, 2026
Delays and hidden costs plague metro construction, from utility shifting and missing maps to slow tunnel boring and higher underground expenses. Ridership often falls far short of optimistic forecasts driven by incentive-skewed demand models. First and last mile gaps like poor footpaths and scarce feeders keep commuters away. NBFC growth is uneven, with lenders shifting into riskier segments such as gold loans and diversified finance strategies.
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Mumbai Aqua Line Vastly Underused
- Mumbai's Aqua line cost ~14,000 crore but averages under 20,000 daily passengers versus a 400,000 projection.
- Across Mumbai's four lines daily ridership is under 700,000 against a projected ~1.9 million, showing acute local mismatch.
Last Mile Kills Metro Usability
- Last-mile connectivity often breaks metros' value proposition even if mid-trip is fast.
- WRI found commuters tolerate only ~20 minutes total for first+last legs; broken footpaths, expensive autos and infrequent feeders push users back to roads.
Fix Coordination And Last Mile Before Building More
- Improve coordination and basic urban infrastructure like footpaths, feeder buses and utility maps to make metros usable.
- Cities must create unified digital underground utility records and reliable last-mile services to unlock metro value.