Rapid changes to the transportation scenario in Chennai have begun shaping the growth and development of the metropolitan area. Even as modern concepts such as transit-oriented development offer opportunities for urban planners to cope with existing challenges, lack of improvement in major modes of public transport over the past two decades have had an impact on civic conditions.
Urban planners point to the inadequate improvement of bus services after the World Bank stopped funding in 1996. “During the 1970s, the World Bank offered capital investment for improving transportation. After 1996, there has been no major capital investment by the World Bank in transportation. The bus transport system was so good in the 1970s and 1980s that old buses were replaced every six years. The number of buses in 1970 in Chennai was 1,000. The number rose to 3,000 in 1990. But bus transport has not improved in the past two decades,” says an official.
Former councillor Sukumar Babu says he depended on only bus transport in the 1970s. “There were more bus stops. The distance between bus stops was less. Connectivity was better. Now, there is no space for bus stops. When I joined college in 1978, buses were our only means of transport. We were given a bus pass for ₹15. In addition to the ride from Aminjikarai to Pachaiyappa’s college, we were permitted to commute any number of times to any part of the city. Bus transport was enjoyable,” says Mr. Babu. “Arumbakkam had a bus terminus as did Nungambakkam, near Loyola College. Areas beyond that were not developed. Now, the areas have changed. Congestion has increased,” he says.
According to a study by CMDA, the average distance between bus stops in Chennai has increased from 200 m to 1 km in the past four decades. “Chennai had a good public transport system even before Independence. We had a tram system, as well as an electric train meter gauge section. The population was less and investment high. Anna Salai, EVR Periyar Salai and Erukkenchery Road were key stretches. This spine of the transportation network had existed even before Independence,” says a CMDA official.
“Steam engines operated in the Tiruvallur-Central and Gummidipoondi-Central sectors. The first electrified suburban system started in 1932 in the Beach-Tambaram sector,” says the official.
Not enough spending
“Investment on bus transport 20 years ago was reasonably good. No congestion, pollution or encroachments were reported,” says another official. “New projects have been implemented. But the investment in public transit is not commensurate with the growth in the number of commuters,” says the official.
Aswathy Dilip of Institute for Transportation & Development Policy says the MTC is the unsung hero of the Chennai transport system, carrying more than 50 lakh passengers per day. “While it was one of the best public transport systems in the country in the past, today with limited funding, only a shadow remains. Improving MTC is the need of the hour,” says Ms. Dilip.
Inderjeet Singh Sodhi of the department of local governance, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, says Metro Rail work has been very slow in Chennai, when compared to other cities such as Kochi and Delhi. “They have not included the suburbs such as Poonamallee. Even the University of Madras has not been properly connected in the first phase,” says Professor Sodhi.
Civic officials point to the delay in the notification of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority even after the bill was passed seven years ago.