Bhopal Metro burns Rs 50 lakh in a week, takes over 100 days to earn it back

BHOPAL: Bhopal Metro spends nearly Rs 50 lakh on operations and maintenance in about a week, but could take more than 100 days to earn that amount from ticket sales, according to estimates based on operating costs and passenger numbers.The gap persists as the service struggles to attract commuters on its nearly seven-km priority corridor, while efforts to generate revenue beyond tickets remain a work in progress.Costs outpace earnings: Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd managing director S Krishna Chaitanya estimated annual operating and maintenance costs at Rs 20-25 crore. That works out to roughly Rs 5.5-6.8 lakh daily, or Rs 38-48 lakh weekly.Estimated weekday ridership of 150-500 and weekend footfall of up to 1,500, combined with an assumed average fare of Rs 50, suggest ticket earnings fall well short of expenditure. These calculations are indicative, not audited revenue figures.The corporation's public relations officer did not provide current passenger numbers. Daily trips have increased from nine to around 20 since July, but updated data was unavailable to establish whether the additional services had boosted ridership.Limited reach: The eight-station corridor between AIIMS and Subhash Nagar opened in Dec 2025. Its limited reach restricts its usefulness for daily commuters. "Wider network coverage is expected only by 2028," Chaitanya said.Early passenger figures reflected a stronger weekend response. Ridership stood at 275 on Jan 15 but approached 1,000 on Jan 18, a Sunday. Between Jan 13 and 20, trains carried 3,350 passengers. These figures relate to the initial operating period, not current usage.Beyond the farebox: The corporation has explored advertising, semi-naming rights, commercial leases, coaching spaces and private events to supplement ticket revenue. A tender to lease advertising space on more than 700 elevated-line pillars was issued in Nov 2025.Introduced in May, "Celebration on Wheels" offers coaches and selected station areas for birthdays, pre-wedding shoots, film shoots and other events. The response was limited, with two Indore bookings over four weeks and a cancelled Bhopal booking by early June.Bhopal hosted a fitness group's event on June 7, but such bookings have yet to establish a dependable income stream.Around 620 sq m at Board Office Chauraha and approximately 2,470 sq m at Subhash Nagar were listed for commercial leasing in June. Monetisation efforts continued in October.For now, the Metro must keep services running while waiting for a wider network, more passengers and sustained returns.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhopal | Silver Rate in Bhopal | Bank Holidays in Bhopal | Public Holidays in Bhopal | Petrol Price in Bhopal | Diesel Price in Bhopal | CNG Price in Bhopal | LPG Price in BhopalStay updated with the latest Bhopal news. Download the TOI App.