CMRL Plans 70-km Water Metro Linking Ennore to Mamallapuram — Chennai Could Get Its Waterway Transit

Why this matters to Tamil Nadu

Chennai's coastal corridor — 70 km of urban and peri-urban coastline — is currently served almost entirely by road, creating chronic congestion on ECR and the northern Ennore corridor. A water metro would reduce pressure on these roads while creating a genuinely new travel option for thousands of daily commuters and tourists. For residents of ECR suburbs, it could cut commute times significantly. For workers in Ennore's industrial zone, it creates an alternative to the notoriously difficult road access. For Tamil Nadu's tourism sector, a coastal water transit route between Chennai and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mamallapuram is a significant attraction in itself.