Chennai: With Diwali just three days away, Chennai is in the middle of one of its largest festive travel rushes in years. Nearly 10 lakh people are expected to leave the city over the long weekend, leading to massive traffic jams and overcrowded transport hubs.
By Friday evening, traffic on the Koyambedu–Maduravoyal stretch came to a standstill, with 5-km-long jams turning short commutes into hours-long gridlock. The congestion, worsened by the exodus of office-goers and holiday travelers, crippled several key arterial roads including the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road and Tambaram Bypass.
Transport Hubs Strained by Festive Exodus
According to officials, the Southern Railway expects a footfall of 3.5 lakh passengers across major stations — Chennai Central, Egmore, Tambaram, and Perambur — by Saturday. To manage the surge, extra Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel have been deployed, along with special queue systems for unreserved compartments to ensure safety and order.
The Kilambakkam bus terminus is facing similar chaos, with an estimated 2.5 lakh passengers expected to board outbound buses over the weekend. To handle the rush, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has deployed 275 special connecting buses, ferrying passengers from various city points to the terminus.
City Roads Turn into Parking Lots
The city’s roadways bore the brunt of the rush, with long queues of vehicles stretching up to five kilometers on major exits. The Koyambedu-Maduravoyal corridor, a key route for buses heading towards Vellore, Kanchipuram, Bangalore, and ECR towns, was completely gridlocked.
Even emergency services were impacted — with reports of ambulances stuck in traffic amid the standstill. Commuters expressed frustration, urging authorities to deploy more traffic police personnel and implement temporary diversions to ease the situation.
Officials said traffic management teams are now working around the clock to regulate movement and ensure a smoother outflow through the weekend.
“This is the biggest Diwali travel surge in recent years. We request citizens to plan their journeys early and follow diversions to avoid choke points,” said a senior transport official.
