Chennai, Oct 17:
Chennai Central, Egmore and Tambaram railway stations witnessed a massive rush of passengers on Friday as people left for their native places ahead of the four-day holiday for Ayudha Pooja and Vijayadashami.
With the weekend holidays followed by Ayudha Pooja on Monday and Vijayadashami on Tuesday, many residents working in Chennai planned trips to their hometowns to celebrate the festivals with their families.
The heavy rush left platforms crowded, while passengers without reserved tickets struggled to board unreserved coaches. Boarding trains became difficult as large numbers of travellers converged on the three major railway stations.
A similar rush was witnessed at the Kilambakkam bus terminus, where passengers gathered to board buses to various parts of Tamil Nadu. The State government has arranged additional special buses to meet the increased demand during the festive period.
Meanwhile, heavy rain for more than an hour on Friday evening triggered severe traffic congestion on the road towards Tiruchy, with vehicles moving slowly.