Chennai: More than five lakh people travelled out of Chennai by train or bus, while several thousand others left in private vehicles on Friday. The festive rush exposed the city’s transport infrastructure, with passengers struggling to find seats, space, and basic facilities. Bus terminuses and railway stations overflowed, while trains were packed and roads leading out of the city choked with traffic.State transport officials said around 2.9 lakh travelled by govt buses on Thursday and Friday, of whom 1.52 lakh left by 9pm on Friday. A total of 3,362 buses, including 1,293 special services, were operated on Friday. On Thursday, 3,209 buses carried 1.4 lakh passengers.The department had announced 15,659 buses from Chennai between Nov 5 and 7, including 9,086 special services. “Another 5,167 buses have been planned on Saturday, including 2,479 special buses,” a transport official said.But the numbers on paper offered little comfort to passengers at Kilambakkam. People walked between bus bays and ticket counters, often in vain, looking for seats. Some who had booked tickets in advance arrived hours early only to get caught in the crush. Families sat on the floor with luggage, while others moved between buses trying to locate their services. Despite buses lining up at the bays, passengers complained of a lack of clear departure announcements.Services also operated from Koyambedu, Madhavaram, the temporary terminus near Kilambakkam Climate Park and Maraimalai Nagar. Yet passengers complained of inadequate services and poor crowd management, despite the department marking a 46% increase in average daily bus deployment over 2025.“I came early in the afternoon and booked a ticket. My friends, however, who came in the evening, were told the buses were full. We want more buses, at least for the return journey,” said R Darshini, a student travelling to Virudhunagar.“There aren’t enough sleeper buses. It can be difficult to sit for hours at a stretch,” said K Saradha, an Erode resident working in the city. Women passengers also complained about the absence of police personnel to regulate the crowds.At Central, Egmore and Tambaram, railway platforms were packed with passengers sitting or sleeping beside their luggage. Around 3 lakh passengers have left the city by train, including 1.5 lakh from Central.. Railway Protection Force personnel repeatedly warned passengers against boarding moving trains and travelling on footboards. Unreserved coaches were particularly crowded, with migrant workers queuing up for trains to northern states.“All trains are full. I have a family with two kids. We are waiting to board the 7pm train to Kolkata,” said Bikash Das, a guest worker waiting at Central station.Southern Railway said it was operating a total of 132 Diwali special trains, providing 207 trips. Additional security personnel, help desks, queue arrangements and CCTV monitoring were among the measures announced. Yet the crowds at stations and packed coaches told another story.The rush spilled onto the roads. Traffic crawled along Mount Poonamallee Road and Poonamallee High Road in the morning, before congestion intensified on GST Road between Tambaram and Vandalur in the evening. Despite diversions and 840 police personnel being deployed, buses and private vehicles moved at a snail’s pace. “We started early hoping to avoid the Diwali rush, but traffic was heavy. It took much longer than usual just to get out of the city,” said Kabilan, who was travelling with his family.
