Madurai - Transport

Transport

The National Highways NH 7, NH 45B, NH 208 and NH 49 pass through Madurai. The state highways passing through the city are SH-32, SH-33 and SH-72, which connect various parts of Madurai district. Madurai is one of the seven circles of Tamil Nadu State Highway network. Madurai is the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Madurai) and provides local and inter city bus transport across seven districts namely Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari. Madurai has four major bus stands, namely, Mattuthavani Integrated Bus Terminus (MIBT), Arappalayam, Palanganatham and Periyar Bus stand. There are 12,754 registered three-wheeled vehicle called auto rickshaws which are commercially available for renting within the city. Over the government operated city buses that are used for public transport, there are 236 registered private mini-buses that support local transportation.

Madurai Junction is an important railway junction in south Tamil Nadu and constitutes a separate division of the Southern Railway. There are direct trains from Madurai connecting the important cities in Tamil Nadu like Chennai, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Karaikudi, Mayiladuthurai, Rameswaram, Thanjavur and Vriddhachalam. Madurai has rail connectivity with important cities and towns in India. The state government has announced Mono rail project for Madurai in 2011, which is in planning stages.

Madurai International Airport is located 12 kilometers from the city. It offers domestic flight services to major cities in India and international services to Colombo, Sri Lanka (beginning September 20, 2012).. The carriers operating from the airport are Air India, Jet Airways and SpiceJet. The airport handled 5.2 lakhs passengers between Apr 2011 to Mar 2012.

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