MTC, GCC officials and traffic police inspect Royapuram site ahead of Broadway terminus shift

CHENNAI:Senior officials from the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), and the Chennai Traffic Police conducted a joint inspection on Monday at the Royapuram NRT Bridge (Clive Battery) site, where the Broadway bus terminus will be temporarily relocated.

The relocation is being planned to facilitate the redevelopment of the existing Broadway facility into a modern multimodal transport hub. The temporary site, located on land owned by the Chennai Port Trust, was assessed for its accessibility, capacity to manage bus operations, and provision of commuter amenities.

The interim bus terminus is being developed on 3.45 acres and will have two entry and exit points to ease bus movement. It will be able to accommodate up to 70 buses at a time and will include covered seating for passengers.

The new multimodal facility at Broadway will be constructed by Chennai Metro Asset Management Ltd (CMAML), a joint venture between CMRL and TIDCO. To ensure uninterrupted services during the construction period, MTC has drawn up a temporary operational plan.

Of the 850 buses currently operating from Broadway, 130 services that cater to North Chennai areas – Tiruvottiyur, Tondiarpet, Manali, Ennore, and Minjur will be extended to Anna Square. “If these services were to terminate at Royapuram, passengers would face connectivity issues. Hence, they will continue till Anna Square,” said an MTC official.

All 550 services heading towards southern Chennai will be operated from Royapuram. The routing of the remaining 170 buses, which serve areas like Avadi, Ambattur, Poonamallee, and Anna Nagar, will depend on traffic conditions and congestion levels near the temporary facility, the official added.