The Delhi Metro has charted a steep rise in popularity, as has its revenue earnings. The month of September saw an average daily earning of over Rs 1 crore, while the average footfall stood at 8.53 lakh.

This has been the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s (DMRC) most profitable month since it began operations in December, 2002, Metro officials said.

The Metro’s average daily earnings during September was Rs 1,00,27,877. Line 3 (Dwarka Sector 9 to Yamuna Bank), which has the highest traffic load, earned a daily average of as much as Rs 41,39,892. The route from Dilshad Garden to Rithala (Line 1) recorded Rs 31,27,559 as daily earnings, the second highest. The earnings from the Jahangirpuri-Central Secretariat corridor (Line 2) stood at Rs. 27, 60, 426.

The highest revenue earned on a single day last month was on September 7 - Rs 1,18,65,966.

Delhi Metro’s footfall count usually goes up during the festive season, officials said. The revenue earnings had touched Rs 1.25 crore in August on the eve of Raksha Bandhan.