Transport in Tirunelveli

NH 44 at Nanguneri area in Tirunelveli district

Tirunelveli city is well-connected by roads. It is located on NH 44, 150 kilometres (93 mi) to the south of Madurai and 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the north of Kanyakumari. NH 138, an extension of NH 44, connects Tirunelveli with Thoothukudi. The road infrastructure is being expanded with an extensive 4 carriageway expansion and the NH 138 stretch is almost in its final stage. Tirunelveli is accessible by road from Madurai (3 hours) and Nagercoil (1.5 hours). Tirunelveli is also connected by major highways to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Tiruchendur, Rajapalayam, Srivilliputtur, Sankarankovil, Ambasamudram, Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Madurai, Nazareth, Tenkasi, Sengottai, Virudhunagar, Kovilpatti, Aruppukottai, Nagercoil, Marthandam, etc. Two tier over bridge at Tirunelveli Junction known as Thiruvalluvar bridge is the first of its kind in India. This 800 meter bridge was constructed to avoid the railway line crossing and was opened for traffic in 1972. This bridge consists of 25 spans of which 13 are of bow string arch, each with a width of 30.30 metres (99.4 ft) and 12 are single tier R.C.C girder each having a width of 11.72 metres (38.5 ft). Autorickshaws and call taxis are also important means of transport.

Two tier bridge(Tiruvalluvar bridge), Tirunelveli

The main bus station was relocated from Palayankottai near Tirunelveli Junction to Veinthankulam near Perumalpuram in 2003. A large network of interstate and intrastate buses ply to various destinations. There is a good co-existence of both private and public transport networks in the city round the clock. The Tirunelveli Division of the TNSTC (Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation) serves the district's road transport needs with a string of local and Mofussil services. Tamil Nadu's State Express Bus Corporation (SETC) operates express services to Chennai,[1] Bengaluru, Salem, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Erode, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Chidambaram, Cuddalore, Puducherry, Viluppuram, Tirupati, Tiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Udagamandalam, Nagercoil, Kanyakumari, Marthandam, etc. The Kerala State Road transport Corporation(KSRTC) operates buses to Tiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alapuzzha, Ernakulam, etc. There are Omni Buses running to Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore. Omni buses run as Inter-city Buses also. The New Bus Stand at Veinthankulam called Bharat Ratna Dr. M.G.R Bus Stand is the main Mofossil Bus Terminal. The Junction Periyar Old Bus Stand near Tirunelveli Junction at Palayankottai is called Junction Periyar Old Bus Stand, this bus station serves as the main Intra-city Bus Terminal. This bus station also serves as the Omni Bus Stand also. Some buses due to traffic in and around the bus stand, operate on the North and South Bypass roads. The Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation is planning to build a new and larger Omni bus terminus in front of the Moffosil bus terminus. The Central Government under Smart City project in going to build a swanky new bus stand in place of the Tirunelveli Junction Periyar Old bus stand. Palayankottai Bus Stand is also an important Intra-city bus terminal.

Tirunelveli Junction

Thoothukudi Airport

V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in Thoothukudi

The city is beautified by a majestic looking structure with a high elevated facade,[2] is one of the busiest and most important stations in Tamil Nadu.[3] It is connected to major cities in all four directions, Madurai to the North, Nagercoil to the South, Tenkasi to the West and Tiruchendur to the East.

Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur route is a broad-gauge network. A large engine maintenance and service station is under construction. At present, all engines and coaches with problems are being sent to Nagercoil for maintenance. This station is facilitated with computerized ticket booking and touchscreens to know the train schedule and status. A computerized ticket booking center at Palayamkottai is operational. There are many express trains starting from Tirunelveli like Nellai Express, Hapa Express, Bilaspur Express, Jammutawi Express, etc.

The Tirunelveli railway station produces a substantial profit for the Madurai Railway division.[4] The Nellai Express, — a super-fast train connecting Tirunelveli Junction and Chennai Egmore runs fully packed almost throughout the year.[5] The station has six platforms . Tirunelveli Junction is coded as TEN. It is one of the oldest[6] and most popular stations in Indian Railways.[7]

Suburban stations:

There is no airport in Tirunelveli. The closest domestic airport to Tirunelveli is the Thoothukudi airport (TCR), located at Vaagaikulam, Thoothukudi district, about 28 km east of Tirunelveli City. Connections to Chennai twice a day and Bengaluru once in a day. The nearest international airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, each about 150 km away by road.

The nearest seaport is V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust in Thoothukudi. it is about 54 km from Tirunelveli.