7 hrs ago
Holiday Rush Chokes Chennai’s GST Road and Railway Station
Many people in Chennai traveled to their hometowns for Vinayaka Chathurthi and a three-day holiday weekend.
This created very heavy traffic on GST Road.
Cars, buses, vans and autorickshaws moved very slowly for several kilometres.
The area around Kilambakkam bus terminus was especially crowded.
Tambaram railway station was also packed with people waiting for trains.
Unreserved trains had some of the biggest crowds.
Some passengers had trouble boarding safely, and some were seen standing on train footboards.
Police said they were strengthening arrangements after realizing that the crowds were larger than expected.
Thousands leaving Chennai ahead of Vinayaka Chathurthi caused severe congestion on GST Road and at Tambaram railway station.
Traffic slowed for several kilometres across Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Perungalathur, Kilambakkam and Singaperumal Koil.
Crowds entering Kilambakkam bus terminus and waiting for private omnibuses worsened the road bottlenecks.
Tambaram station was packed with passengers seeking unreserved services to southern districts, including trains to Nagercoil and Manamadurai.
Police deployed personnel to manage traffic, while passengers criticized crowd-control arrangements and reported unsafe footboard travel.
- Who
- Thousands of Chennai residents, motorists, bus passengers, railway passengers and police personnel were involved.
- What
- A holiday travel rush caused severe congestion on GST Road and overcrowding at Tambaram railway station.
- Where
- The main affected locations were GST Road in Chennai’s southern suburbs, including Tambaram, Kilambakkam and Singaperumal Koil, and Tambaram railway station.
- When
- The rush began on Friday night and intensified on Saturday, ahead of Vinayaka Chathurthi and the following three-day holiday weekend.
- Why
- People were traveling to southern districts and other destinations for Vinayaka Chathurthi and the holiday weekend.
Passenger Concerns
Authorities’ Response
Crowd-management preparations
Passenger Concerns
Passengers said the additional security and crowd-management arrangements usually seen during major festivals such as Deepavali and Pongal were not evident.
Authorities’ Response
Police sources said authorities had not anticipated such a large movement for Vinayaka Chathurthi and were strengthening arrangements.
Traffic control
Passenger Concerns
Motorists complained that the number of personnel deployed was inadequate for the volume of traffic.
Authorities’ Response
Police personnel were manually regulating traffic at Tambaram and other important junctions and trying to clear bottlenecks.
Passenger safety
Passenger Concerns
Passengers faced difficulty boarding overcrowded trains, particularly women, elderly people and persons with disabilities; some travelers clung to footboards.
Authorities’ Response
The reported safety concerns occurred amid efforts to manage unusually large crowds, while authorities said crowd-management measures were being reinforced.
Key facts
- Road affected
- GST Road and several southern suburbs of Chennai
- Worst-affected stretches
- Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Perungalathur, Kilambakkam and Singaperumal Koil
- Railway station
- Tambaram railway station
- Crowded services
- Unreserved trains to Nagercoil and Manamadurai, Antyodaya Express and limited unreserved coaches on other express trains
- Main concerns
- Long traffic delays, packed station facilities and unsafe boarding conditions
- Police response
- Traffic and law-and-order personnel were deployed at Tambaram and other major junctions
- Authorities’ explanation
- Police sources said the scale of passenger movement had not been anticipated and arrangements were being strengthened
Sources
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