Transport in Chennai
Despite a few troubles, the line became operational in the same year, with a written report of its functioning since January 1838, thus marking the first rail transport in the country 16 years prior to the running of the first commercial passenger service in India, the Bori Bunder–Thane train with 14 carriages hauled by three locomotives on 16 April 1853.
[4][5] The work for suburban train services started in 1928 and became operational in 1931 between Madras Beach and Tambaram with electric multiple units (EMUs).
With the operation of the mass rapid transit system (MRTS) between Chennai Beach and Chepauk in 1995, the city is the first to have an elevated track in India.
Run by the Madras Electricity System (MES), trams on rails dominated Chennai roads and remained a convenient mode of transport for thousands of riders as it could carry heavy loads.
The rails of the tram embedded on roads continued to remain for several years after the withdrawal of the service, since their removal would cost the government a fortune.
It traverses most of central and south Chennai and leads on to the Grand Southern Trunk Road (National Highway 45) to Tiruchirapalli.
The bus service, currently, plies about 4,000 buses on 622 routes, moves an estimated 5.038 million passengers each day.
[12] The CMBT is located on the Inner Ring Road at Koyambedu in the western part of Chennai, replacing the older terminus on the Esplanade in the city centre.
[14] Vans which are run like bus services and popularly called "Maxi Cabs" also ply on many routes in the city.
Despite a sharp increase in the number of four-wheelers in the city, motorscooters are still very prevalent and are preferred to cars due to their affordability, fuel efficiency, manoeuvrability, and ease of parking.
The neighbourhoods of Thousand Lights, Egmore, Mylapore, Royapettah, Kamarajar Salai, government offices and Fort complex will be covered by the network in the first phase.
[16] There are 31 auto LPG dispensing stations (ALDS) in the city, of which 11 are owned by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
[18] The first to be constructed in South India, the Royapuram station served as the headquarters of the Madras Railway Company.
The section from Washermanpet to Beach handles predominantly freight traffic from Chennai Port, and is not geared well to serve passengers.
However, extending MRTS beyond St. Thomas Mount is not very certain in light of the State Government deciding to develop the Chennai Metro rail system.
The smart card is valid for 6 months from the date of purchase and the extra amounts of travel value can be recharged whenever needed.
The Airport lies around 25 km from the city centre and is accessible by road and rail transport services.
Furthermore, a new greenfield airport is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 20 billion in Parandur (Near Sriperumbudur) to serve the city's burgeoning air traffic.
Chennai port is India's second busiest container hub, handling general industrial cargo, automobiles, etc.
Chennai Port has 21 alongside berths in three distinct zones of the Chennai port namely the Ambedkar Dock (inner harbor to handle passenger, general cargo and containers), Jawahar Dock (to handle coal, fertiliser, other bulk and break bulk cargo) and Bharathi Dock (outer harbor accommodates ore and oil handling system and a modern container terminal).
[17] As part of the ITMS, a green corridor for emergency services, including ambulances and fire tenders, will also be implemented.
[31] Owing to the high traffic density, the average bus speed in the city as of 2014 is 17-18 kilometres per hour.
The Chennai Metro Rail project is expected to reduce the commuting time by 75 percent from one end of the city to another.
[32] Chennai ranks fifth in carbon emissions from the transport sector among 54 South Asian cities, according to a study done by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiative (ICLEI).
This is mostly due to the significant increase of motor vehicles used for commuting and carrying goods in the past few years.
[33] According to statistics in the report Accidental Death and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2011, prepared by the National Crime Records Bureau, Chennai has recorded the highest number of road accidents in India, with a staggering 9,845 cases in the year 2011, the highest among 53 cities in the country.
Accidents on the Chennai's roads resulted in 7,898 persons getting injured, including 6,280 males and 1,618 females.
[35] In August 2018, the 162-km-long Chennai Peripheral Road (CPR) connecting Kattupalli in Tiruvallur district (in the northern periphery of the city) with the Pooncheri near Mamallapuram (in the southern periphery of the city), connecting industrial hubs of Tatchur, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, and Singaperumal Koil, was accorded environmental clearance.
Estimated to cost ₹ 125,000 million, the project envisions a 100-metre-wide six-lane road with two service lanes on either side, with space for a utilities corridor to carry oil and gas pipelines.
