Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited recorded a tightly concentrated, event-led passenger surge of 5,747 commuters against backdrop of T-20 match between India-New Zealand played at Jamtha stadium on Wardha Road. The commuters were routed through Khapri and New Airport Metro stations, the two stations positioned as primary drop-off points for match spectators, by 9 pm on January 21. Exit data up to 9 pm showed that 4,199 passengers got down at Khapri and 1,548 at New Airport, compared to 3,723 and 347 respectively during the same time window on the previous day.

 

While Khapri recorded a limited increase of 476 passengers, New Airport alone accounted for an additional 1,201 exits, translating into a 346 per cent jump at that single station and driving the bulk of the observed surge. A senior Metro official said the skewed station-wise distribution was expected given the match-specific travel pattern. “There was a clear increase in passenger movement on the metro compared to normal days. We had anticipated higher ridership based on previous matches, where around 4,500 people had gone to see the match.

 

This time, we prepared for a much larger rush, even though there is no compulsion for spectators to use the metro and exact numbers are always difficult to predict,” the official said. NMC arranged dedicated shuttle bus services between New Airport Metro station and the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium and also from Khapri station. The official said this shuttle arrangement directly explains the disproportionate rise in exits at New Airport, clarifying that the 346 per cent increase reflected crowd routing.

 

The official said both Khapri and New Airport stations were actively promoted in advance as preferred access points for the stadium. “We undertook extensive publicity encouraging spectators to use the metro. In addition, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Lohit Matani, ahead of the match had appealed to people to take to the metro,” the official said. Operational changes were planned around these two stations rather than across the network. The official said, metro services were extended beyond normal hours, with trains running until midnight, and additional services were kept ready to handle post-match movement concentrated at Khapri and New Airport.