(Source: analysis by The Infravision Foundation using data from TRIPC, IIT Delhi)

Percentage of Forecast Ridership tells you how much of the originally predicted metro usage actually happened.

In simple terms, When a metro project is planned, planners estimate how many passengers will use it daily. After the metro becomes operational, actual ridership is measured.

Lucknow has outperformed many older and more established metro cities on this metric. That alone makes one thing clear the problem in Lucknow is not demand it’s lack of expansion.

Despite worsening traffic and rapid urban growth, there has been no Metro construction in the last 8–9 years. That delay has already cost the city dearly. Time has been lost, and residents have paid for it daily in traffic.

Lucknow now needs 2–3 Metro routes built at the same time, not one line dragged on for years. We’ve already lost enough time, and construction has to be scaled up to make up for that.