Chennai MTC Bus and other Road Transport

[Arul Murugan]

Another news for bus service in IT corridor

Bus service to Semmanchery

For the convenience of Sholinganallur and Semmanchery residents, a direct bus service to Semmanchery will be operated from Guindy every 20 minutes from Saturday onwards, a release said. This would help commuters avoid a change over at S.R.P. Tools and Adyar

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/08/stor...0859520300.htm

[Into_salem]

CHENNAI: Tickets in Tamil will be issued soon through all hand-held ticket-issuing machines in Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses.

The transport corporation introduced electronic ticket issuing machines in 800 buses.

As these machines did not have software to print tickets in Tamil, tickets were issued in English only.

Following the Chief Minister’s directive, the software has since been changed to get tickets printed in Tamil.

It has been introduced in 800 buses and will be introduced in all the 2,900 buses of MTC, Transport Minister K.N. Nehru said in a press release.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/08/stor...0859900300.htm

JJ now has to look for some other reasons for demos.

[Rasnaboy]

Originally Posted by Arul Murugan

State Government is using the Jail land for GH expansion!!

They could choose any place in the city for another grand GH for the city, but those lands are required for Egmore/Central link.

A part of the jail land will be used for the Metro station, I believe. The jail complex will be the location of RSS of Metro Authority (110/33 kv) as part of the Corridor 1 of the Metro Rail project. (Source: http://www.chennaimetrorail.gov.in/t...ted_240408.pdf)

[PlaneMad]

Originally Posted by Kewl Batty

I guess that 6 has already come in... coz they cant have so many routes with 14 buses... I saw 2 volvos at the same direction in some 15-20 mins difference for 3 routes
597 - 2 volvos
554 - 2 volvos
29C - 2 or 3
not sure abt the no. for the rest..

19B
570
370
599
M23
521A
7M
T51

Here's a list of Routes for MTC buses.. I keep updating it periodically.. I don't know who created it.. but kinda nice.. There are still many routes tat are not listed...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MTC_deluxe_routes

Good job mate. And i created it

[Arul Murugan]

Originally Posted by Rasnaboy

A part of the jail land will be used for the Metro station, I believe. The jail complex will be the location of RSS of Metro Authority (110/33 kv) as part of the Corridor 1 of the Metro Rail project. (Source: http://www.chennaimetrorail.gov.in/t...ted_240408.pdf)

This the rough alignment of Metro1, 2....

If they implement Metro 2 elevated corridor over PH road from Central then there is no chance for elevated MAS Central-MS Egmore link.

Where will be the alignment for Port elevated express way??



If everything is implemented Central will look more complex area in future.

1. PH 6 lane road
2. Pallavan salai flyover
3. Beach-Chengalpattu Suburban with Park station
4. Beach-St.Thomas Mount MRTS with Park Town station
5. Metro Corridor 1 - Under ground central station
6. Metro -Corridor 2 - elevated central station ??(Am i correct here??)
7. Central-Egmore link (if the project gets new life)
8. Port elevated expressway
9. Central station
10. Central-Gummidipundi/Arrakonam Suburban MMC-Moore Market Complex

[Kewl Batty]

Originally Posted by PlaneMad

Good job mate. And i created it

Thought so!!

[Rasnaboy]

Thanks PlaneMad and Kewl Batty. You guys are simply superb!

[Kewl Batty]

welcum rasnaboy!

[Kewl Batty]

I guess MTC has put in all the routes in 500 series and is saturated (500 -599) and started introducing routes like 566A.. In tat wikipedia list i guess around 65 routes are listed and there are many routes i couldnt find out.. The MTC website is outdated and many new routes are not there and old routes are not removed.. and their search system is very tedious....

I'm planning to build a bus route search engine with all the existing routes.. for tat the wikipedia list must be updated to have atleast 50% of the routes..

[hari.manivannan]

Originally Posted by Kewl Batty

I'm planning to build a bus route search engine with all the existing routes.. for tat the wikipedia list must be updated to have atleast 50% of the routes..

Hi Kewl Batty,

Just wanted to share a similar kind of initiative that I am currently on. Following is my draft action plan.

1. Collect all the bus stops in Chennai - Source MTC site
2. Collect all the bus services/numbers in Chennai - Source MTC site
3. Get the mapping data - Which routes cover which bus stops. This will be based on information collected in step1 and step 2.
4. Build a database using the above information
5. Create bus stop nodes for all the bus stops (so far 845 in chennai) with an approx lat, lon coordinates in Open Street Map.
6. Move the nodes in OSM to exact location.
7. Host the database built in step 4 in a shareable format
8. Build a yahoo mashup, such that given a bus number it draws the route in the OSM map. Also given two bus stops, it also draws the routes of various bus routes over the chennai map. There is a mashup already, but in a very crude form and is not much of help.
9. Prepare Google Transit Feed and load into google maps. The database mentioned in step 4 should be created keeping this feed structure in mind.
10. Build something on the lines of this, where if you click any two points on chennai map, the walking direction to nearest bus stop & bus to be taken to reach the destination are all displayed.

Step 0 - Clean up the bus routes and stops data. This will be an ongoing activity and no end to it.

I sort of completed 1, 2, 3 and 4. Struggling in step 5. We need a collaborative effort, so that everyone is not reinventing the wheel. Ideas welcome.

Cheers,

[Kewl Batty]

Originally Posted by hari.manivannan

Hi Kewl Batty,

Just wanted to share a similar kind of initiative that I am currently on. Following is my draft action plan.

1. Collect all the bus stops in Chennai - Source MTC site
2. Collect all the bus services/numbers in Chennai - Source MTC site
3. Get the mapping data - Which routes cover which bus stops. This will be based on information collected in step1 and step 2.
4. Build a database using the above information
5. Create bus stop nodes for all the bus stops (so far 845 in chennai) with an approx lat, lon coordinates in Open Street Map.
6. Move the nodes in OSM to exact location.
7. Host the database built in step 4 in a shareable format
8. Build a yahoo mashup, such that given a bus number it draws the route in the OSM map. Also given two bus stops, it also draws the routes of various bus routes over the chennai map. There is a mashup already, but in a very crude form and is not much of help.
9. Prepare Google Transit Feed and load into google maps. The database mentioned in step 4 should be created keeping this feed structure in mind.
10. Build something on the lines of this, where if you click any two points on chennai map, the walking direction to nearest bus stop & bus to be taken to reach the destination are all displayed.

Step 0 - Clean up the bus routes and stops data. This will be an ongoing activity and no end to it.

I sort of completed 1, 2, 3 and 4. Struggling in step 5. We need a collaborative effort, so that everyone is not reinventing the wheel. Ideas welcome.

Cheers,

Hari, thats a good work!! But I juzz wanna tell you that the MTC site informations if not correct in mentioning the bus stop names as well as bus routes.... not all, a good number of routes are wrong/changed! and its not updated...

So the first step is to visit each MTC depot one or two at a time and collect the information on routes operated by them in detail. This has to be done to get proper route information!

[Elango1984]

The government ban on hoardings has helped the metropolitan transport corporation and Southern Railways increase their annual commercial publicity earnings. In the past one year, the MTC’s advertisement revenue has increased from Rs 4 crore to Rs 20 crore, said a senior MTC official, adding, “We hope this will increase further.” The demand for advertising on the sides of MTC buses, particularly the air-conditioned Volvo buses, had surged. Since most buses ply through arterial junctions and crowded places, the reach for the advertisement is high compared to the other media. And most of the MTC customers are regulars.

“We are also hoping that the recently introduced advertising on bus tickets will soon become popular,” the official said. Similarly the ban on hoardings has helped the Southern Railways. Electronic display boards, glow signs and CCTV cameras installed in the railway stations are now becoming popular. “Though the revenue through hoardings and signboards has decreased, the railway have managed to make good profit,” Southern Railway spokesperson Neenu Ittyerah told Deccan Chronicle. In 2007 (from April to October) commercial publicity earning was Rs 5.76 crore, and for the current year during the same period the revenue has crossed Rs 6.42 crore. This is despite the railways refusing permission for hoardings on its land after the government ban. Railway officials are happy with the ban for other reasons. Earlier hoardings would collapse near the track disrupting rail traffic. Signalmen and traffic controllers do not have to worry about the collapsing hoardings now, an official said.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chenn...s%20on%20buses

[Rasnaboy]

Commuters from southern suburbs pleased with new services

CHENNAI: After sensing or seeing a potent competitor in the MRTS whose popularity graph, of late, is rising, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation has expanded its fleet strength to over 3,000 and improved its bus services to a large extent.

A traffic planning official at the MTC said that Velachery, Guindy, Sholinganallur, Padappai, Oragadam, Poonamallee, Pallavaram, Thirumudivakkam, Kunrathur and Avadi had been identified as potential zones for developing more bus services.

The transport corporation studied the demand in various areas and wherever there was potential for revenue generation, services would be started.

Commuters from the southern suburbs appear to be pleased with the new services.

K. Murugan, a resident of Oorapakkam, said that the new bus service to Chengalpattu was useful to him. A regular commuter, he said that long-distance direct bus services helped him cut costs and save time.

However, residents in the western suburbs of the city felt that things could be better. Roy Rosario, a resident of Pattabiram, said that owing to the ongoing construction of the Padi flyover, buses had to take diversion, which increased travel time.

“The only bus service to the High Court is 71 E, which is overcrowded. Now, more people are switching over to suburban train services as they find the bus services unreliable,” he said.

A lot of residents in areas such as Pattabiram, Padi and Thiruninravur went to Avadi as the bus services there were better. Also with the bus terminus located away from the railway station, it was not easy to switch from one mode of transport to the other, he said.

As regards north Chennai, T. Rajkumar, a resident of Selavoyal, Kodungaiyur, said that the bus services to Korukkupet and Kodungaiyur had scope for improvement. Thousands of students studying in Thiruthangal Nadar College were depending on public transport and would benefit if more buses are introduced here.

North Chennai residents are also upset that no airconditioned bus services had been introduced here. However, the MTC officials pointed out at the need for economic viability of running such services.

According to a senior official, the existing AC services were not fetching the desired revenue as the rains had played spoilsport. The MTC was likely to augment AC services in the summer for better patronage, he said.

Also experts in the field of transport felt that integrating different modes of transport should be the way forward. The Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority set up recently offers some hope in this area. However, sources said that work in this area was still in the planning stage.

Priyamvada Vishwanathan, Transport Planning Manager of Southern Railways, said that the ideal situation would be to have a seamless transport system, where people could travel from one point to another by bus and then easily switch over to trains, if need be. “The transport system should be planned in such a way that people should not be forced to depend on two-wheelers or autorickshaws for connection. Buses should at best be feeder services,” she said.

Giving a boost to the public transport system was the best bet to bringing down pollution levels and, in general, making life easier for those living in the city.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/10/stor...1059920400.htm

[Rasnaboy]

Commuters seek trains between south, other parts of the city such as Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: Train travel during rush hour is a daily ordeal for many commuters in western and northern suburbs of Chennai as there are no sufficient train services to match the increasing passenger traffic.

Commuters in the Chennai-Arakkonam section said Chennai Beach- bound trains from Tiruvallur are inadequate, particularly during rush hour.

B.R.Prasad, a resident of Ambattur, said: “After the 8.20 a.m. service from Avadi to Chennai Beach Station, there is a gap of 35 minutes for the next train to arrive. It is invariably delayed and reaches Ambattur station only at 9.10 a.m.,” he said.

After 9.30 a.m., there were no EMU services to Beach station. Commuters hesitate to take trains to Chennai Central Railway Station as they would not reach on time, he added.

B.Ramarathnam, president of Suburban Train Commuters Welfare Association, said it takes nearly 25 minutes to cross the short stretch between Basin Bridge and Central station as the junction is a major bottleneck.

The authorities concerned must increase the number of platforms in the suburban terminal and also introduce more services between 7.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. and evening rush hours.

Mismatch

Passengers raised questions about the mismatch between the train services in western suburbs and the Chennai Beach-Tambaram EMU services.

They also demanded connecting trains between south and other parts of the city from the Beach station such as Tiruvallur to Velachery.

K. U. Parthasarathy of Nemilichery said the number of compartments in the trains must be increased to decongest the rush hour passenger traffic.

T.Ravikumar, president of All India Rail and Bus Passengers Association, said unlike their counterparts travelling on Tambaram-Beach service, which is available for every 10 minutes, passengers in Gummidipoondi-Central station section have to wait for one hour.

Commuters also want the proposed Chennai Metro Rail Project to cover Tiruvottiyur in its first phase. E.Ernest Paul of North Chennai People’s Rights Federation said Ennore High Road and Kathivakkam High Road could be used for a project similar to the Mass Rapid Transit System.

Southern Railway officials said the passenger traffic had increased from 4.94 crore in 2006-07 to 5.20 crore in 2007-08 in the Chennai Beach and Gummidipoondi section. Similarly, an additional 50 lakh people have travelled in Central Station- Tiruvallur section in 2007-08 than the previous year.

Two additional railway lines were being provided between the Athipattu and Chennai Beach stations at the cost of Rs.140 crore to facilitate more train traffic.

Similarly, two more lines were being proposed between Tiruvallur and Arakkonam at the cost of Rs.199 crore.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/10/stor...1058710300.htm

[Elango1984]

Wrong post

[Arul Murugan]

Elango, we have separate thread for Chennai MRTS in Indian Transportation folder, the above news is posted already there.

We can leave this thread only for Suburban and MTC developments.

[kannan infratech]

Originally Posted by Kewl Batty

Hari, thats a good work!! But I juzz wanna tell you that the MTC site informations if not correct in mentioning the bus stop names as well as bus routes.... not all, a good number of routes are wrong/changed! and its not updated...

So the first step is to visit each MTC depot one or two at a time and collect the information on routes operated by them in detail. This has to be done to get proper route information!

Hi Hari & Kewl Batty,

Please PM Planemad since he has done some basic work on these lines. This will save time and effort. You need not repeat what he has already done.
It will be better if we arrive at a common template and each of us work on a certain locality with reviews from others. This, I think will save lot of time and avoid repetition.

I have an old TTK Map of Chennai wherein the PTC bus routes (at that time) were given with bus nos printed along each road. At least one could know which bus to take to go to any destination.

What we are trying to do is to
Highlight all the Bus Roads
Routewise Bus Roads
Stops with names marked in the map
Landmarks in each locality
If possible, if you type your origin and destination, you get the various routes possible and the highlighted details in the map.
(Mapmy india already tried this but incomplete data and sometimes it shows wrong directions - For Eg. if you type Anna Nagar, you get wrong info as there are many Anna Nagars (within other localities) in Chennai)
Probably we have to use a prefix if the same name figuring in many localities (Eg; Anna Nagar, MGR Nagar, JJ Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar or colony etc).

Please do a collective work to save time and avoid repetition

[Rasnaboy]

“It is quite difficult to take foot overbridge to reach the counter on the other side of station”


UNDERUTILISED? The ticket counter constructed on the northern side of the Perambur Loco Railway Station seen closed.

CHENNAI: For a railway commuter without a season pass, purchasing a ticket for suburban train travel has never been easy.

Several railway stations have ticket counters only on one side of the tracks, forcing commuters to take the long foot overbridge or the risk of crossing the tracks to reach the ticket counters. In some stations, the foot overbridge is quite far from the ticket counters. Though Southern Railway has introduced computerised ticketing and has installed Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) in a number of railway stations, long crowds are commonly seen at ticket counters.

Senior citizens’ plight

R. Radha, a resident of Pudur near Ambattur, said a number of residential colonies had come up on the northern side of Ambattur Railway Station. “Senior citizens here find it really hard to take the foot over bridge to reach the ticket counter on the other side.” “And by the time we manage to buy a ticket and reach the platform, we miss the train,” she added.

The Chennai Beach-Tambaram section has a few railway stations with ticket counters on both sides, but the western section of Chennai Central-Arakkonam has ticketing facilities only on one side.

Commuters questioned

Residents of Jamalia, Otteri and Perambur said a counter on the southern side of the Perambur Railway Station would be of immense help. S. Kumar, a resident of Jamalia, said sometimes, commuters were stopped by Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel or officials. “We would have to explain that we came to the other side only to buy a ticket. My friends have even had to pay a penalty because officials thought they were travelling without a ticket.”

In a few railway stations, counters are either closed or are operated only for a limited period. The Villivakkam Railway Station has only one full-time ticket counter.

A counter was constructed on the northern side of the railway station about five years ago, was closed in 2006. After numerous representations to the officials, the ticket counter is now kept open only during rush hour. In the case of Perambur Loco Railway Station, a newly constructed ticket counter remains closed.

Southern Railway Divisional Railway Manager Subodh Kumar Kulshrestha told The Hindu that poor patronage from commuters was the reason. The Department did not want to post clerks in counters with low demand as they were already facing a shortage of clerks, he added.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/17/stor...1758600400.htm

[Raj_network]

Originally Posted by hari.manivannan

Hi Kewl Batty,

Just wanted to share a similar kind of initiative that I am currently on. Following is my draft action plan.
Cheers,

Massive work Hari, Kewl Batty, Planemad!

[Into_salem]

A tender floated for the project failed to elicit good response

“The office building, rest room and toilets for crew are also in need of improvements”

YET TO TAKE OFF: The Ambattur Estate bus stand whose improvement work is yet to start.

CHENNAI: The proposed improvement works at one of the important bus terminuses in the western suburbs of Chennai at Ambattur Industrial Estate has hit a roadblock.

A tender floated for the project by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation a few weeks ago failed to elicit the desired response from the bidders.
Funds surrendered

With the project unlikely to take off in the next few months, Rs.40 lakh sanctioned towards it from the local area development fund by North Chennai Member of Parliament C. Kuppusamy had to be surrendered by the MTC.

The commuters, however, want the MTC to expedite the project. “Water stagnation is a perennial problem at the terminus, where no major improvement work has been implemented for several years except patch work on the flooring in the bus bays,” said R. Murugesan, a commuter from Chromepet. The terminus is served by several services of the MTC providing connectivity to different parts of Chennai.

.....

Talking to The Hindu, Mr.Kuppusamy said that Rs.40 lakh each was allotted towards improvement of the Mogappair and Ambattur Industrial Estate bus terminuses. The MTC proposed to provide platforms and flooring in Ambattur, shelters for passengers, rest rooms for the crew and offices for the timekeepers besides public convenience in the other termini.

.......

The funds were then diverted to construct a rest house for the staff of State Express Transport Corporation at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu,” he said.

Mr. Kuppuswamy added that he would soon meet the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority officials to get permission for construction of a guest house, which is a long-pending demand by crew of the SETC.

When contacted, an MTC official said the Corporation would take up the improvement work at the Ambattur facility as soon as its financial position improved.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/20/stor...2060110400.htm