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The Hindu
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Comprehensive mobility plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area to be ready this month
CHENNAI: The comprehensive mobility plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area is likely to be released by Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) this month, shaping urban mobility for the next 25 years. The CUMTA executive committee led by Chief Secretary examined all the proposals for a comprehensive mobility plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area on Monday and cleared for submission to CUMTA. CUMTA, headed by Chief Minister is expected to meet by the end of July for release of the comprehensive mobility plan. Following the release of the comprehensive mobility plan, an App for 'journey planner-cum-integrated ticketing' is likely to be launched by the second week of August for commuters in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpet, Tiruvallur and Ranipet. The journey planner cum integrated ticketing system will include MTC, metrorail, auto and cab for Chennai Metropolitan Area in the first phase. As the Railway Board is expected to approve the integration of Railways with the journey planner cum integrated ticketing system later, suburban train commuters will be integrated with the App by October. Commuters will make a single payment to reach any destination in the metropolitan area, as the App will provide information about the cheapest and the fastest modes of transport to reach any destination. Once the commuter makes a decision, choosing any one of the options provided by the system, she/he will make a single payment and a QR code will be generated for the transit. One of the proposals include extension of Metrorail from Poonamallee to Kuthambakkam bus terminus in this phase. Priority to Airport metro and linking of Kalaignar Convention Centre in Muttukadu on ECR with Siruseri Metro station has also been proposed. The plan involves several key components, including the development of missing links, new links, and ring-radial roads. Road widening and upgradation projects are also included, alongside the construction of Rail Over Bridges (ROB) and Rail Under Bridges (RUB). Grade separations, such as flyovers and underpasses, and improvements to road safety and junctions are part of the strategy. The plan's targets for 2048 include achieving a 45% reduction in transportation sector green house gases emissions, and a 75% reduction in road crashes, including fatal and severe injuries. The plan also aims for 60% of the critical road network to be protected from flood impacts. For the GCC area, the plan proposes the upgradation and construction of Link Road along the Buckingham Canal, spanning 19 km. The Madhavaram Sholavaram elevated corridor, which is along an existing road, has also been proposed. New road projects in the GCC area include the extension of the NH bypass to the Inner Ring Road from Puzhal, and two U-shaped flyovers near Indira Nagar MRTS and Tidel Park Junction at OMR. These new roads proposed in the GCC area cover 7.6 km. In the expanded CMA, the plan includes new town loop roads such as Arakkonam (16 km), Chengalpattu (24 km), Kanchipuram (16.5 km), Mahabalipuram (15.5 km), Parandur (10 km), Tirutani (4 km), and Thiruvallur (11 km). The new town loop roads cover a length of 97 km.
The Hindu
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
CUMTA to come up with comprehensive mobility plan for city next month
A mammoth comprehensive mobility plan, packed with plans to push public transit in the city — be it Phase III and phase IV Chennai Metro Rail lines, bus priority lanes or Light Rail Transit —is set to be rolled out next month. The extensive document will chalk out sustainable plans on how to enhance mobility, shift people into using public transport, and introduce multi-modal integration and land-use planning for the next two decades. While the first executive committee meeting will be held between the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) and various government departments, the second meeting is slated to be held next week. If the executive committee approves the plan, it will be presented to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for the final approval, sources said. 'The document focuses on the Chennai Metro Rail's phase III and phase IV networks. To feed into the main network, we are also exploring the Light Rail Transit network for one or two corridors. We are also considering bus priority lanes, a concept similar to Bus Rapid Transit. With dedicated bus lanes and the existing fleets, we can establish this system,' a source said. According to CUMTA, the existing MTC bus fleet is around 3,300, but the current requirement is nearly 6,000. By next year, the fleet size will increase to 4,500. It has estimated the fleet for the next 25 years. 'We have been giving a lot of impetus to increasing the share of public transport in the city — be it bus, Metrorail and suburban rail — which faced a significant decline post pandemic. However, the share of two-wheelers has risen from 29.6% in 2018 to 36.6% in 2023 in the overall Chennai Metropolitan Area,' an official of CUMTA said. If there is increased emphasis on public transport such as bus priority lanes, Chennai Metro Rail, and suburban rail, the footpath needs to be accessible and free of encroachments. CUMTA has identified 1,500 km for footpath improvement. Of this, work to improve 200 km will be taken up every year. 'Only 16% of the city roads have footpaths. Out of this, 12% have encroachments. The CUMTA has recommended separate operation and maintenance contracts for their upkeep for better accountability. So, whether it is the Greater Chennai Corporation or the Highways, we recommend that they float separate contracts. Our priority is to develop accessible footpaths on bus route roads,' the official said. Moreover, the CUMTA is looking to decongest East Coast Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai by enhancing their connectivity, the official added.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
CUMTA begins trials for Anna Ride Booking common ticketing app, to be launched by the end of July
The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has begun trials for Anna Ride Booking, a common ticketing mobile app. It is set to be launched by the end of next month. The app provides routes and multiple transport options and their timings for commuting through the city with a single ticket. For instance, if someone were to travel from Valasaravakkam to the airport, then it would show routes featuring a combination of buses, Metro Rail, and autorickshaws. After choosing the current location and a destination, commuters will have to select the transport options and make a payment to generate a QR Code. Chennai Metro Rail, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses, suburban and Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) trains, and Namma Yatri cabs and autorickshaw will be available as options in the app. According to CUMTA officials, trials of the app on MTC buses and Metro Rail have been going on for the past week. 'By the end of July, the app will have the option to select buses, autorickshaws, and Metro Rail. But suburban and MRTS train options will take time to be implemented. The railway gave an initial approval but a memorandum of understanding should be signed. We expect that to be done by August. They may be able to come on board as well,' an official said. CUMTA is currently working with the MTC to get accurate vehicle tracking and timings and incorporate them in the app. 'If people can plan their journey better knowing the timings of buses and trains, they will be able to commute by public transport on time and at half the price, instead of paying for a cab or an autorickshaw for the entire commute,' he added. S. Ramesh of Mogappair, who often travels to Pattabhiram and Chennai Central, said one of the main problems now is that people don't know the exact schedule of MTC buses. 'If this becomes a reality thanks to this app, it will benefit thousands of people. Those new to the city will find it very useful to commute. They probably won't be aware of train schedule or frequencies either. This will help them use public transport to navigate the city,' he added. Though the app should have been ready much earlier this year, it is now finally looking at a launch date.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Chennai set to get a 25-year Comprehensive Mobility Plan
Smart urban planning, with efficient mobility being a critical part, is not an option but a necessity. With that cognisance, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority ( CUMTA ) is devising a 25-year Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area (5904 with the key aim of efficient, seamless public transport for citizens, which in the process will also decongest roads and improve road safety, especially for pedestrians. 'Urban roads are not unlimited. It's a limited source. So, our main idea is to promote public transport options and provide seamless connectivity even for the last mile. They carry more people per unit road space and energy consumed,' I Jeyakumar, IRTS, Member Secretary and CEO, CUMTA tells ETAuto. CUMTA is an authority under the Tamil Nadu government, chaired by the Chief Minister. It is a coordinating authority for all transport related departments/ agencies in the Chennai Metropolitan Area spanning 5904 sq km, including the districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu and Ranipet. The authority has a team consisting of technical experts hired from the private market and officers on deputation from various government departments for effective coordination. The team is led by a Member Secretary who is also the Chief Executive Officer of CUMTA. Mobility revamp As part of the CMP, CUMTA says 50,000 households were surveyed in this region to gain inputs for the masterplan. 'Basically, it's to understand the travel pattern, how people are actually moving, what modes they are using, which are the predominant modes, gaps in the system. We do a diagnostic analysis based on a lot of data and then we come up with the proposals,' says Poonam Sabikhi, Sr. Transport Planner, CUMTA. The survey data showed that 34 per cent of the population in the core city commute by two-wheelers, 7 per cent by cars, and another 7 per cent by cabs and auto-rickshaws. Jeyakumar argues that inadequate number of public transport buses is also leading to people choosing private vehicles, which, in turn, also contributes to traffic congestion and parking issues. Therefore, public transport, footpath and road infrastructure improvements are the topmost proposals of the CMP. Identifying where bus augmentation has to be done, priority lanes or dedicated lanes for buses, locations for terminal depots are some of the key goals. Explaining the larger goal, Sabikhi says 'We are looking at how we can have an integrated transport system. And all these systems like bus, metro or suburban trains, are still working in silos. We need to have an integration among them.' One key step to achieve the integration is a ticketing app which CUMTA is developing. Once ready, citizens can avail transport services across all three modes using a common QR code generated ticket. Double-deckers could also make an entry into Chennai's public transport landscape. The more space efficient mobility option is being proposed for at least a few routes. This would also help address the significant deficit between the demand and supply of buses in Chennai. CUMTA estimates that 6,500 - 7,000 buses are required in the city, whereas the current fleet strength is 3,300 buses (including the ones out of service temporarily). 'We are recommending (double-decker) for certain routes. The number of regular buses have to be increased first,' says Jeyakumar. In another significant move towards improving urban mobility, the Government of Tamil Nadu has approved the parking policy for the Chennai Metropolitan Area prepared by CUMTA . A key reform introduced in the parking policy is planning, management and implementation of parking under one agency. Another initiative under development is Smart Parking Management in Anna Nagar as a pilot project. For the implementation of Smart Parking, CUMTA is developing a common parking app for the fee collection, monitoring and enforcement. The entire system will be centrally monitored by the Parking Management Unit at CUMTA. Pedestrian-friendly spaces Beyond public transport, the CMP is also targeting improvement in pedestrian mobility, by identifying ways to improve the footpath network. 'We have identified the clusters, because that is also a huge network. So again, on a priority basis, it should be taken up first. The first objective is that all the transit stations, like bus terminals, Metro and suburban train stations should have accessibility by footpath,' says Sabikhi. Access to and from footpaths for wheelchair users is also being factored in in the proposals. And, for safer mobility, CUMTA says it is working on standardising processes for accident data. Granular data is critical to analyse trends, which in turn can help in devising ways to address the root causes of fatal accidents. 'Most accidents are written off as human errors. But if you don't know the causes of these fatal accidents from a vehicle or road infrastructure point of view, then how are you going to fix it? So, first we are working with the police to collect good quality road accident data. Based on the accident analysis, we can then understand the vehicle and infrastructure factors and advise the respective agencies to rectify designs or infrastructure through a scientific and data-driven approach,' says Ravishankar Rajaraman, Road Safety Expert at CUMTA. Given the scale of the mobility plan, and the different challenges in its execution, CUMTA plans to line up its targets in terms of 5-year periods. Now, the first phase for the CMP, after being cleared by its CEO, is to get the approvals from the Executive Committee (group of Secretaries and Headed by Chief Secretary), and then the final approval of the CM.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
CUMTA's ‘Smart Parking Management Plan' for Anna Nagar evokes mixed response in Chennai
During a public consultation session held in Chennai on June 14, 2025 at the Regional Deputy Commissioner's Office (Central) to introduce a pilot project that will help regulate parking across roughly 25 km of Anna Nagar's roads, the residents wondered how the plan would work considering the highly-commercialised nature of the locality. Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has conducted a study, according to which, over 60% of road space in some parts of Anna Nagar is encroached by way of haphazard parking, thus reducing the space for pedestrian and vehicular movement. Therefore, CUMTA, along with officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP), has planned to implement the 'Smart Parking Management Plan' on a pilot-basis in Anna Nagar from September. Project details As per the pilot project, around 2,000 parking slots are to be marked, with 70% on major roads such as the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th Avenues, and the rest on internal roads like the 11th to 13th Main Roads. An average of 5,000 vehicles are parked in a day in the area, including over 3,000 during peak hours. Parking will be prohibited within 20 metres of bus stops and within 100 metres of schools. Designated pick-up and drop-off bays will be created at key locations to ensure safe access for commuters. Parking charges will be set at ₹60 per hour for trucks, ₹40 for cars and ₹20 for two-wheelers. The parking revenue thus generated is likely to be used for local mobility improvements such as better footpaths and signage, according to CUMTA's plan. A team of 100 trained marshals will monitor enforcement in two shifts, each covering about 500 metres. Marshals will use body cameras and surveillance tools. Non-payment for over three hours will result in wheel clamping; after six hours, vehicles may be towed under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Parking will not be allowed within 20 metres of bus stops or 100 metres of schools. Pick-up and drop-off bays will be marked. The plan will use camera-based management systems, mobile applications for digital payments, a centralised digital dashboard for real-time monitoring and trained parking marshals will be deployed on the ground for enforcement. 'Insights from the Anna Nagar pilot project will inform broader parking reforms across Chennai, supporting the city's vision for safer, more inclusive, and efficient streets,' a CUMTA official said. Public reaction At the meeting, residents, vendors, elected representatives and commercial stakeholders of Anna Nagar raised their concerns about enforcement of parking plans, street encroachments, relocation and the design of the upcoming plan. Sandhya, secretary of the Federation of Annanagar Residents Associations (FOARA), said the parking system outlined by officials looked thorough, but without strict enforcement, it might turn out ineffective. Issues such as encroachment of pavements and roads by parked vehicles, street vendors and stationing of heavy trucks along major avenues are rampant despite restrictions in place. 'If the current violations are not addressed first, how can a new system succeed?' she doubted. Sukumar, president of FOARA, suggested construction of a multi-level parking at Anna Nagar East bus stand (with a skywalk to Tower Park) near Thirumangalam Metro and at the Civil Supplies warehouse. Heavy vehicles should not be allowed to park on Anna Nagar 6th Avenue and the space should instead be used for two-wheelers and cars which ply more frequently, he urged He also objected to the designation of 5th Avenue and 15th Main Road as vending zones, stating that Anna Nagar is primarily a residential locality. To this, a vending committee member raised concerns about jobs. Ms. Sandhya responded that vending does not only entail selling fruits and veggies from carts — but also setting up of permanent stalls on pavements that may hinder pedestrian pathway. The public also sought better footpaths, removal of encroachments, management of street vending in residential areas and stricter building code enforcement. Public feedback will be considered, said CUMTA in a statement.
