Straphangers United

The Southern Railway does not advertise it widely, but Chennai Central, the brick red British era terminal with its unmistakable architecture has very good bus connectivity.

Passengers arriving at the terminal need only step out of the main concourse and they have bus bays with stops for a steady stream of buses that touch important places. The easiest way to transfer (if you have light luggage) is to take a bus from outside the terminal to nearby Parrys which is a transport hub offering bus connections to most places in Chennai.

In addition, MTC recently started operating airconditioned Volvo buses on route A1, from Chennai Central Railway Station to Thiruvanmiyur with stops en route at P.Orr and Sons, LIC, Royapettah and Adyar. See the accompanying pictures.

The important thing to remember, therefore, is to make it to the bus bays outside Central, and plan your journey. The autorickshaw drivers at Central are quite aware of the good connectivity and try to prevent passengers from finding out by making an offer well ahead, often on the platforms or in the concourse. DO NOT take an autorickshaw at that point. Walk to the main entrance area, through the wide concourse between platforms 1 and 7, and make it to the exit.

For those going to destinations such as Chintadripet, Chepauk, Triplicane, Santhome, Mylapore, Greenways Road, Mandaveli, Kasturba Nagar, Indira Nagar, Perungudi and Velacheri, there are MRTS trains available just 500 metres outside Central. Take the pedestrian subway outside the station, walk on Stanley Viaduct bridge, and midway on the bridge, enter the Park Town station on the MRTS line. Tickets are sold at the station.

The 2008 timetable for the MRTS is here.

Exit from Central to the Park station, also about 500 metres away and connected by pedestrian subway for trains to other Southern destinations on the Tambaram line — important stations being Egmore, Nungambakkam, Kodambakkam, Mambalam, Saidapet, Guindy, Meenambakkam, Pallavaram, and so on, with a stop at Tirusoolam that connects with the Chennai airport.