How To Reach Chennai (Madras)

Chennai is located on the south eastern coastline of India in the Eastern Coastal or the Coramandel Plains. The city is the capital of the Southern state of Tamil Nadu and one of India’s most active tourist places. Chennai is about 343 km east of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, and about 148 km from the Temple town of Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh. Chennai has a very good connectivity to the rest of the country. Travelling to Chennai and getting around the city for sightseeing would be hassle free with the choices of transport that Chennai has to offer.

The easiest and fastest way to reach Chennai would be by air.

Chennai’s Airports are the third busiest in India. The Anna International Airport terminal and the Kamaraj Domestic Terminals lie in close proximity. Domestic flights serve most of India’s major cities, while International flights include those to London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka etc.

The suburban Tirusulam Railway Station is just across the airport through a subway. You could use these suburban trains to reach Tambaram, Chengleput or Chennai Beach, with halts at various stations in between. Or you could use the Airport Metro Station to get to your destination. The airport has walkalators that save you the trouble of walking to the Airport Metro station. You have the additional options of A.C. buses, call taxis or the customary black taxis outside the airport.

Egmore Railway Station serves trains to the south, including destinations like Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam etc, with a few trains to Hyderabad, Howrah and Mumbai as well. It also serves the Chennai Beach-Chengleput suburban train line.

The Chennai Central Station which has been renamed Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G.Ramachandran Central Railway Station, on the other hand, has trains chugging in from the other parts of the country. Both these stations have good connectivity to the city and you can get local buses that drive right inside the Central Station, along with prepaid taxis and auto rickshaws. Or you could call for a mobile app cab. Chennai Metro’s Green and Blue Line train station is close by and could be used to reach your destination from the Central Station.

There are a number of interstate buses that you could use to get to Chennai from the neighbouring states. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus or CMBT at Koyambedu, said to be the largest in Asia has a number of facilities that could make your travel time so good. There are good quality restaurants, locker rooms, travel agencies, ATMs, dorms, medical facilities, and a parking lot etc, right inside the sprawling site. An elevated Metro Rail Station run by the Chennai Metro Rail is inside the terminus so you can get a connecting transport mode easily.

You could also drive to Chennai or rent a cab.

Suburban Electric Trains, Chennai Metro and the CMBT give a lot of options for travel within the city. There are plenty of numbered government (regular and AC) buses that can also be used for getting around, apart from the mobile app cabs, auto rickshaws and share autos. Bikes and motorcycles are also available on hire.