Transport
in Chennai
Chennai
is Popularly known as "Gateway to South India",
Chennai is well connected internationally and to other
parts of India. Five major national highways radiate
outward towards Kolkata (Calcutta), Bangalore, Trichy,
Tiruvallur, and Pondicherry.The Chennai Mofussil Bus
Terminus (CMBT), which serves as the terminus for all
intercity buses from Chennai, is the largest bus station
in South Asia. Seven governments owned transport corporations
operate inter city and inter state bus services. There
are also many private inter city and inter state bus
companies that operate services to and from Chennai.
The
Chennai International Airport (comprising the Anna International
Airport and the Kamaraj Domestic Airport) serves as
the city's airport for both domestic and international
flights and is the third busiest in India and is the
premier international gateway in South India.
The
city is served by two major ports namely the Chennai
Port which is one of the largest artificial ports and
the Ennore Port. The Chennai port is India's second
busiest container hub handling general industrial cargo,
automobiles etc. The Ennore port handles cargo such
as coal, ore and other bulk products. A smaller harbour
at Royapuram is used by local fishing boats and trawlers.
Traffic on Anna flyover, India's oldest flyover, light
up the night.There are two main railway terminals, the
Chennai Central station, which is the city's largest
railway station with trains to all the major cities
like Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore
and towns in India, and Chennai Egmore, with trains
primarily for destinations within Tamil Nadu and a few
inter-state trains.
Buses,
trains, and auto rickshaws are the most popular form
of public transport. The Chennai suburban railway network
consists of four rail sectors, namely Chennai Central—Arakkonam,
Chennai Central—Sullurpeta, and Chennai Beach—Chengalpattu.
The fourth sector is an elevated MRTS suburban train
system (locally called Parakkum Rayil or flying rail
which links Chennai Beach to Thiruvanmiyur), which is
interlinked with the remaining rail network. The rail
network is broad gauge. There are plans to construct
an underground Metro in the City.
The
Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC)runs an extensive
city bus system. The bus service consists of 2,773 buses
on 375 routes, and transports an estimated 4.2 million
passengers daily. Besides MTC services, mini-bus services
are present in the suburbs of the Chennai metropolitan
area. Vans which are run like bus services and popularly
called "Maxi Cabs" also ply on many routes
in the city. Hired transport facilities include metered
call taxis, fixed rate tourist taxis and auto rickshaws.
Chennai
faces problems with traffic congestion and resulting
pollution. Chennai has a fairly well developed transportation
infrastructure in terms of coverage and connectivity.
The majority of city's population uses public transportation
which gets very crowded during peak hours. |