Kochi Water Metro recorded 15,507 passenger journeys on Mahanavami, making the festival holiday one of the strongest single-day ridership performances since the service began in April 2023. The High Court–Fort Kochi route recorded the highest passenger movement on the day, according to a report by Malayala Manorama.
The latest figure came close to the water metro’s existing daily ridership records set during the Christmas-New Year period. The service carried 11,074 passengers on October 21, the report said, indicating sustained demand during the Pooja holiday period.
Kochi Water Metro’s current one-day record was set on December 28, 2025, when 17,050 passengers used the service. Other major ridership peaks include 16,162 passengers on December 31, 2023, and 15,518 passengers on December 27, 2025.
The Mahanavami figure is therefore the fourth-highest daily ridership number cited in the report. It is also just 11 passengers below the December 27, 2025 figure, placing the latest holiday demand among the strongest recorded since the network began operations.
The High Court–Fort Kochi corridor emerged as the busiest route during the latest surge. The report did not provide a route-wise passenger breakdown or specify the number of services operated on Mahanavami, but the route’s performance highlights the role of the water metro in connecting central Kochi with Fort Kochi during a period of increased visitor and local travel.
Since the launch of services in April 2023, Kochi Water Metro has carried 79,29,051 passengers, according to the report. The cumulative figure places the system’s festival-period ridership in the context of a growing public transport network that uses Kochi’s waterways as part of the city’s mobility system.
The latest numbers also show that the water metro’s highest demand has so far been concentrated around holiday and festive travel periods. The service’s three previous peak figures cited by Malayala Manorama were all recorded during Christmas-New Year dates, while the Mahanavami and October 21 figures reflect another period of elevated travel demand.
For the transport system, the immediate significance of the latest milestone is the volume of passengers handled during a concentrated holiday period. The figures provide a measurable indication of demand on key routes, although the available report does not establish whether the increase reflects regular commuter use, leisure travel, visitors to Fort Kochi, or a combination of these factors.
Kochi Water Metro’s next passenger milestones will depend on subsequent daily ridership and route-wise performance. The existing record remains 17,050 passengers, recorded on December 28, 2025.
