The steady increase in passenger demand has prompted KMRL to introducing additional train services during peak hours to provide greater comfort and convenience to commuters.
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Rising ridership has facilitated Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) to register a record operational profit of ₹52.64 crore in its fourth consecutive year of operational profitability.At the same time, the company’s net loss came down significantly from ₹430.50 crore in 2024–25 to ₹352.49 crore in 2025–26, witnessing a steady improvement in its overall financial health.Loknath Behera, Managing Director, KMRL said that with the commissioning of the second phase connecting the city with smart city and Infopark in Kakkanad the operational profit will go up.The story behind these numbers is the growing preference for Kochi Metro among commuters. The average daily ridership crossed the one-lakh mark during the year, reaching 1.01 lakh passengers, the highest in the Metro’s history. As more people choose Metro for their daily commute, fare revenue has continued to grow, directly contributing to higher operational profits.passenger demandThe steady increase in passenger demand has prompted KMRL to introducing additional train services during peak hours to provide greater comfort and convenience to commuters.Kochi Metro’s financial resilience has also been strengthened by its innovative approach to generating non-fare revenue. Of the total operational revenue of ₹224.65 crore earned during 2025–26, ₹76.33 crore—nearly 34 per cent—came from non-fare sources, including station commercialisation, advertising, property development and other innovative initiatives. This has made Kochi Metro one of the leading metro systems in the country in terms of diversifying revenue streams beyond ticket sales.KMRL has consistently focused on making the Metro an inclusive and people-friendly public transport system. Barrier-free stations, universal accessibility for persons with disabilities, facilities for senior citizens, enhanced safety measures for women, seamless integration with feeder services and the Water Metro, and customer-centric initiatives have made the Metro the preferred mode of transport for an increasing number of people.Despite operating on a comparatively shorter corridor than many metro systems in India, Kochi Metro has emerged as one of the few metro rail systems in the country to achieve sustained operational profitability within a relatively short period.With ridership steadily increasing, expanding multimodal connectivity and a robust non-fare revenue model, Kochi Metro is strengthening its position as one of India’s most sustainable and commuter-centric urban mobility systems.Published on July 31, 2026
