New Delhi: Delhi Metro recorded its highest-ever single-day passenger boardings Thursday, with 82,44,903 boardings, surpassing the previous record of 81,88,115 set on Aug 8, 2025, on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. The milestone came amid the ongoing strike by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employees.Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) defines passenger boarding as the number of metro lines used by a commuter to complete his or her journey. However, ridership data includes total tickets sold and metro cards used by commuters to exit a station. Delhi Metro used to calculate passenger ridership until 2018, but it started reporting passenger boardings from 2019. Passenger boarding was earlier called passenger journeys.“The surge in passenger boardings comes in the wake of the ongoing DTC strike. To meet the increased travel demand, DMRC operated 32 additional trips Thursday for the convenience of passengers,” a DMRC official said.Santosh Chalke, DIG, CISF Unit, DMRC, said the record reflected the coordinated efforts of CISF and DMRC in ensuring security and smooth passenger movement across the network.“Our personnel work day in and day out to continuously elevate security standards and enhance the overall commuter experience at one of the world’s busiest transit systems,” he said.Of the total boardings recorded Thursday, Yellow Line accounted for the highest share with 20,89,465 boardings, followed by Blue Line (Dwarka Sector 21-Noida Electronic City) with 17,28,658 boardings and Pink Line with 9,41,527 boardings.DMRC data show that the highest passenger boardings are typically recorded during Aug and Sept. Besides Thursday’s record figure, the other highest daily passenger boardings were 81,01,159 on Aug 27, 2025, 80,97,551 on Aug 11, 2025, and 80,71,630 on Sept 16, 2026.“The interconnectivity of the metro network through a web of 31 interchange stations has enhanced seamless connectivity, enabling people to beat the road traffic or blockages and humidity in the monsoon months,” said an official.DMRC currently operates a fleet of 336 trains comprising 2,326 coaches, running more than 4,200 trips daily across the network. Additional trains and trips are introduced whenever required to meet higher passenger demand, said the official.
