Despite being located on a key route and serving as a link between Chennai and the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh and districts like Vellore, Tiruvallur is lacking in integration of different modes of transport, especially buses and trains.
When Tiruvallur town was converted into a district headquarters around two decades ago, there was a promise of several basic amenities, including better connectivity.
“The integrated bus terminus project near the existing railway station was abandoned due to difficulty in accessing the terminus from the central parts of the town,” said K. Sadasivan, a resident of Tiruvallur.
At present, a few buses are operated near the railway station for commuters, mainly local train passengers, to reach the main terminus located in the central part of the town.
Most of the commuters have to rely on share-autorickshaws to reach either the railway station or the bus terminus by paying Rs. 20 per person to cover a distance of around two km (distance between railway station and bus terminus).
Under the integrated bus terminus project, a site of five acres of land near the railway station was selected.
In 2010, on pilot basis, bus services from MTC and also STC (Villupuram division) were operated to assess the viability of the multi-crore project.
However, as most of the commuters are from the central parts of the town near the existing bus terminus, they found it difficult to reach the new terminus near the railway station.
A risky affair
With no feeder services, women commuters too felt it risky to travel alone to the new terminus, which is located far away from the centre of the town.
At present, MTC operates 293 trips with a fleet of 58 buses from Tiruvallur town to various parts of Chennai including Poonamallee, Avadi, Broadway, Vadapalani, CMBT, T. Nagar, Red Hills and Tambaram.
The temple town also has moffusil buses operated by State Transport Corporation (STC), Villupuram division, to various parts of the state like Vellore, Tiruvanamallai, Salem and Tiruchy.
This apart, suburban train services with an average of around 260 trips between Chennai Central and Arakkonam is also operated.
However, integration of these two modes of transport for the purpose of enhancing accessibility remains a key challenge.
Located on the Chennai – Tirupathi Highway (NH:205), Tiruvallur is the key link between various districts and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh with Chennai.
More importantly, residents of adjoining neighbourhoods like Kadambathur, Thiruvalankadu, Poondi and Kakkalur depend on Tiruvallur to be able too travel to Chennai.
As most of the residents in Tiruvallur district are farmers and rely on better transport to reach wholesale markets in Koyambedu, Uthukottai, Periyapalayam, Villivakkam and Poonamallee, easy accessibility of buses and trains will be a boon for residents in the district.
