Chennai Transport
Chennai is the major gateway to South India, while the Chennai International Airport, including the Anna international terminal and the Kamaraj domestic terminal, is deemed the third busiest airport in India. The Chennai city is well connected to some of the major hubs in South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America being served by more than 30 national and international airlines.
The Chennai airport is also the second busiest cargo terminus in the nation. While a massive modernisation and expansion project is underway at the existing airport, there is also a proposal to construct a new greenfield airport at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore in Sriperumbudur. The two major ports of Chennai include the Chennai Port, one of the largest artificial ports, and Ennore Port. The Chennai port is the second busiest container hub across the nation that handles automobiles, motorcycles and general industrial cargo, while the Ennore Port handles cargo including coal, ore and other rock mineral products.
Chennai stays well connected to the rest of India by road and rail. The five major national highways that radiate from the Chennai city lead to destinations including Mumbai, Kolkata, Trichy, Tiruvallur and Pondicherry. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT), is the point of origination for all intercity buses operated from Chennai, which is also the largest bus station in Asia.
Chennai city has two principal railway terminals known as the Chennai Central station and Chennai Egmore Station. Chennai Central Station is the largest in the city that provides access to trains operated to major cities including Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad in addition to a number of smaller towns across India. Chennai Egmore is a hub for train services operated primarily within Tamil Nadu, while it also handles a few inter-state trains. The most common forms of public transport facilities available within the city include buses, trains, and auto rickshaws.
