Chennai witnessed festival-like crowds at major transport hubs as voters headed to their native places ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election scheduled for Thursday.
Large queues and rush were reported at Chennai Central, Egmore and Tambaram railway stations, as well as at the Kilambakkam and Koyambedu bus terminals. Passengers competed for space, especially in unreserved train coaches.
To manage the surge, the state transport department arranged operations of 2,092 regular buses along with 5,574 special buses on April 21, 22 and 23. Transport corporation officials said additional services were planned up to Wednesday afternoon based on demand.
Officials said more than four lakh passengers travelled from Chennai on April 21 and 22 by government buses. Railway authorities reported that over three lakh passengers used regular express and special trains from Chennai towards destinations including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Coimbatore over the same period.
In addition, more than two lakh passengers travelled in omni buses operated from Chennai to cities such as Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Coimbatore. Authorities also said special bus services have been planned for the return rush to Chennai and other cities after polling.
