India's Metro Boom Leaves Passengers Behind
India has spent about $26 billion to build metro networks in nearly two dozen cities, yet most corridors are drawing only 20-50% of projected riders (with some as low as 2% in Kanpur and 37% in Chennai; Delhi is the notable exception). The Aqua Line in Mumbai, opened last year, already shows ridership near a tenth of its 1.5 million daily projection. Experts point to overly optimistic demand forecasts, high fares for many workers, insufficient feeder buses and last‑mile options, long transfer times, limited train frequencies and coaches, and fragmented governance as key factors. Without cheaper, more integrated fare and bus/metro connectivity, and better station access, metro use is expected to rise only gradually.