Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

is a city in the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Most transportation in the city and suburbs is by road. Coimbatore is well-connected to most cities and towns in India by

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Railway track or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' (1967 fil ...

, and

air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

, but not through waterways. The city has successful transport infrastructure compared to other Indian cities, though road infrastructures are not well maintained and developed according to the growing needs of transport, making traffic congestion a major problem in the city. A comprehensive transport development plan has been made to address many traffic problems.

Roads

The

city and metropolitan area is divided into five administrative zones (East, West, North, South and Central) which are served by major arterial roads.

Avinashi Road Avinashi Road, is an arterial road in Coimbatore, India. Running from west to east, the road starts at Avinashi Road flyover, Uppilipalayam flyover and ends at Neelambur by-pass junction where it joins NH 544, Beyond Neelambur Junction, the roa ...

is one of the city's most important arterial roads, traversing most of Central and East Coimbatore. It is part of National Highway 544, which connects to Salem and

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

. Other arterials include Trichy Road (central–southeast), Mettupalayam Road (north–south), Sathy Road (south–northeast), Palakkad Road (east–west), Pollachi Road (north–south), and Thadagam Road (east–west). Other roads include 100 Feet Road, Bharatiyar Road, Dr. Nanjappa Road, Balasundarum Road, Crosscut Road (in the

Gandhipuram Gandhipuram is a major place of the Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is named after Mahatma Gandhi. It was previously known as "Katoor". Gandhipuram evolved as the major public transportation hub after the construction of the central bu ...

commercial district), Diwhan Bahadhur Road (DB Road), TV Swamy Road, Brooke Bond Road in RS Puram, and Race Course Road. Maruthamalai Road starts at the intersection of Lawley Road Junction and connects to the neighbourhood of

Vadavalli Vadavalli is a neighborhood in Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the Marudamalai Road and has been under the jurisdiction of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation limits since 2007. Located at the foothills of t ...

and the Maruthamalai foothills. In January 2012, the

Coimbatore Corporation The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation is the civic body that governs the city of Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the second largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu after Chennai with an area of 257.04 sq km. Histo ...

announced that they would be laying around ten roads by mixing plastic. Parts of the district, including Kurudampalayam, continue turning plastic waste into pavement.

National Highways

Five major National Highways radiate outward from Coimbatore: *

NH 544 National Highway 544, commonly referred to as NH 544, is a National Highway in South India connecting Salem in Tamil Nadu to Kochi in Kerala. It is a spur of National Highway 44 and forms part of the North–South corridor of the National ...

( Salem–

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

Highway) * NH 81 (new NH code for Trichy Road) towards

Karur Karur () is a municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Karur district and is administered by the Karur Municipal Cor ...

Trichy Tiruchirappalli (), also known as Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with being the best livable and the cleanest city of T ...

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...

and Tiruchchirappalli. * NH 181 ( Mettupalayam Road) towards

Ooty Ooty (; officially Udagamandalam (), Anglicisation, anglicized: Ootacamund , abbreviated as Udagai, ) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north ...

and Gudalur leading to

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. * NH 948 ( Sathy Road; formerly NH 209) towards

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

, Bangaluru,

Chamrajnagar Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is the southernmost district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in 1998. Chamarajanagar town is the headquarters of this district. It is the third leas ...

and

Kanakapura Kanakapura is a city in the Bengaluru South District of Karnataka on the banks of the Arkavathi river and the administrative center of the taluk of the same name. Its founder is Shrihan Kanaka Sigmanath, hence its name. Kanakapura is largest ...

. * NH 83 (Pollachi Road) towards

Dindigul Dindigul (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul City is Located in the Southwest Region of Tamil Nadu. Dindigul is an ancient settlement r ...

, Trichy, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam,

Palani Palani or Pazhani () is a town in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is located about west of Dindigul, south-east of Coimbatore, north-west of Madurai, from Kodaikanal. The Palani Murugan Temple or Arulmigu Dhandayut ...

and

Oddanchatram Oddanchatram () is a town in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. Demographics According to the 2011 census, Oddanchatram had a population of 30,064 with a gender-ratio of 994 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average ...

Ring roads

A major bypass was built by

Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, defence and financial se ...

from

Neelambur Neelambur is a suburb in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. Neelambur is situated in the Eastern Part of Coimbatore. Neelambur is the entrance of Coimbatore City from the National Highways. The road splits for Palakkad, Kerala and Coimbatore City h ...

Madukkarai Madukkarai is a suburb of Coimbatore, Coimbatore city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is the gateway to Coimbatore, Coimbatore city from Kerala State and is located around 12 km from the Kerala borde ...

on NH 47 which intersects the Trichy Road at Chintamani Pudur near

Irugur Irugur is a suburb of Coimbatore city in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the fastest developing suburbs in the Coimbatore Metropolitan Area. It is located to the north of Trichy Road which is a part of National Highway National Highway ...

and

Eachanari Eachanari is a suburb of Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu, India. The suburb and its environs are also home to the Eachanari Vinayagar Temple. It exists within the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation jurisdiction. Geography Eachanari is locat ...

in Pollachi Road. In 2012, the

started construction of six railway overpass bridges in the city and the

National Highways Authority of India The National Highways Authority of India or NHAI () is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, set up in 1995 (Act 1988) and is responsible for management of a road network of over 50,000 km of National highways out of 1,32,499 ...

invited feasibility studies to upgrade the National Highway connecting

Pollachi Pollachi is a town and municipality in Coimbatore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Pollachi taluk. It is situated near the center of the South Indian Peninsula, surrounded by Western Gha ...

and

Bannari {{Infobox settlement , name = Bannari , other_name = , type = village , image_skyline = Bannari range.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = Bannari plains seen fro ...

passing through the city.

Public transport

Most of Coimbatore's intra-city transport requirements are met by extensive

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

, with about 1257

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

es on 322 routes. This service, which is run by the government-owned TNSTC Coimbatore covers the city and its suburbs. An additional 500 buses operate on 119 inter-city routes, to major towns in Tamil Nadu,

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

, and

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. Bus services are generally considered efficient; in 2018, TNSTC rolled out

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

-less buses and point-to-point routes to decrease operational costs and improve efficiency. The point-to-point routes were still in effect in April 2023. In 2022, the

Petroleum Conservation Research Association The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) is an organization established in India in 1978, under the aegis of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas of Government of India that is engaged in promoting efficient energy use in va ...

ranked TNSTC's Coimbatore division the second most efficient in mileage nationally. A TNSTC official cited "counseling and training programmes for the drivers, periodical servicing of buses and better road conditions" as main factors in improving transport efficiency.

Private transport

The city is also served by a large number of private buses and auto

rickshaw Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tr ...

s. Call taxis are also becoming more popular and fixed-rate tourist taxis are available at the airport, bus terminals, and railway stations.

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...

s which are run like bus services are popularly called "maxi cabs". The outlying suburban areas of the city are served by private minibus company services and public buses of neighboring districts. The city has a very high vehicle-to-population ratio. Despite a sharp increase in the number of four-wheelers in the city, motorscooters are still very prevalent, due to their affordability,

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical energy, chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or Mechanical work, w ...

, maneuverability, and ease of parking.

List of Intercity (Mofussil, Omni, SECTC, Town) bus stands

Gandhipuram Central Bus Terminus The Gandhipuram Central Bus Terminus, commonly known as the Gandhipuram Bus Terminus, is a bus terminus in Coimbatore that serves intercity buses. History In Coimbatore, town buses started operating in 1921 to serve most parts of the city, as w ...

Thiruvalluvar Thiruvalluvar commonly known as Valluvar, was a Tamil poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the '' Tirukkuṟaḷ'', a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered an e ...

bus stand (For SETC (TNSTC) and KSRTC Buses) * Coimbatore Omni Bus Terminus(Near G.P. Signal) * Singanallur Bus Terminus * Saibaba Colony Bus Terminus (Near Saibaba Temple) * Ukkadam Bus Terminus (

Ukkadam Ukkadam is a part of Townhall locality in the core part of the city of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Ukkadam Bus Terminal, which is one of the seven major bus stands in the city, is located in this neighborhood. Ukkadam is famous for its Fish M ...

)

List of Intracity bus stands

* Gandhipuram Town Bus stand *Vadavalli Bus Terminus *Vellalore Bus Terminus *Singanallur Bus Stand *Ondipudur Bus Terminus *Marudhamalai bus Terminus *Ukkadam Bus stand *SaiBaba colony bus stand

List of TNSTC Coimbatore depots

* Head-Office Branch (City & Moffusil) * Uppilipalayam (Moffusil only) * Sungam - 1 (City & Moffusil) * Sungam - 2 (City only) * Ukkadam - 1 (City & Moffusil) * Ukkadam - 2 (City & Moffusil) * Ondiputhur - 1 (City only) * Ondiputhur - 2 (Moffusil only) * Ondiputhur - 3 ( City & Moffusil) * Annur * Karumathampati (City only) * Marudhamalai (City only) * Pollachi - 1 * Pollachi - 2 * Pollachi - 3

Air

Coimbatore International Airport Coimbatore International Airport is an international airport and the primary airport serving the Coimbatore Metropolitan Area in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the neighborhood of Peelamedu, about from the center of the city. It is the ...

is a major airport serving

and its suburbs. It is the second busiest airport in Tamil Nadu after

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

and has separate domestic and international terminals. The airport lies about from the city centre and is accessible by road and rail. As of 2025, the airport is undergoing modernization, including the construction of a new terminal and a runway expansion to , which will make it the second longest runway in

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. Other airports in the metropolitan area include

Sulur Air Force Station Sulur Air Force Station is an air base of the Indian Air Force located at Sulur near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. It is operated by the Southern Air Command and is the second largest air base of the Indian Air Force after the Hindon Air Force ...

Railways

Coimbatore Junction Coimbatore Junction railway station (station code: CBE) is a List of railway stations in India, railway station located in Coimbatore in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the major rail-head in the city ...

, also known as Kovai Junction, is the primary railway station serving the city, as well as the major rail junction of South India. It has six platforms and is the second busiest railway station in

, after

. Many trains from Kerala to other parts of the country pass through Coimbatore Junction. It is one of the top booking stations and revenue-generating stations in India according to Indian Railway.

Proposed rapid transit

Metro

Coimbatore Metro Coimbatore Metro, also known as Kovai Metro, is a proposed rapid transit system for Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. History The Indian Government proposed a metro rail system for 16 tier-2 cities in India including Coimbatore in 2010. However, in 20 ...

, also known as Kovai Metro or CMRL, is a proposed metro rail system. The plan was shelved in 2011 in favor of a

monorail A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...

system. In January 2017, a Coimbatore District Administration official told ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' that there was no mass rapid transit system presently under consideration for the city. Railway Minister Suresh Prabu announced a plan to construct metro rail in late 2017 on behalf of the government. The proposed works were anticipated to begin by fiscal year 2017–18. A

project plan A project plan, is a series of structured tasks, objectives, and schedule to a complete a desired outcome, according to a project managers designs and purpose. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), is: "...a formal, appr ...

prepared by CMRL was completed in 2022 and the system is expected to finished by 2027.

₹ The Indian rupee sign ⟨₹⟩ is the currency symbol for the Indian rupee (ISO 4217: INR), the official currency of India. Designed by D. Udaya Kumar, it was presented to the public by the Government of India on 15 July 2010, following its ...

9,000 was allotted for the rail route in the 2023-24 budget.

Suburban railway

Coimbatore railways have unique infrastructure to host a circular rail system as it has similar bus services within the city limits. One proposal would link Coimbatore, Coimbatore North, Peelamedu, Irugur, and Podanur before returning to Coimbatore Junction. Another infrastructure that can be utilized are the four radiating rail routes from Coimbatore Junction to towns away. The other junctions are located at Coimbatore North Junction (2.6 km away from

(CBE) on the northern side), Podanur Junction (5.8 km away from CBE on the southern side) and

(16 km from CBE on eastern side).

Bus rapid transit

The Coimbatore Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) was proposed under the JNNURM scheme and called for a corridor starting at Avinashi Road and ending at Mettupalayam Road. The route would turn left from Stanes School after Avinashi Road and passes along Dr. Nanjappa Road. It then joins at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road. Avinashi Road, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, and Mettupalyam Road would have dedicated two-lane carriageways for the BRTS and would be flanked by dual lanes for mixed traffic on either side. These lanes would be separated by cement blocks on both sides. A cycle track and 2-metre footpath was proposed on either side of the mixed traffic lane, also separated by cement blocks. The proposal included the addition of 14 at-grade bus stops and three bus stops in the route's elevated section. A May 2015 feasibility study by the

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes c ...

and

's Transport Department & Commissionerate of Municipal Administration indicated that bus transportation was inadequate to serve the city's needs. At a January 2023 meeting, Coimbatore central regional transport officer K. Sathyakumar suggested the implementation of a BRTS as soon as possible, pointing to Mettupalayam, Trichy, and Avinashi roads as good sites.

References

{{reflist