Project Background
In 2009, the Government of Tamilnadu, as part of its transport policy was evaluating the various high capacity public transport alternatives, when BRTS was shortlisted as a viable alternative. Since this was also mentioned in the Chennai Traffic & Transport Study of 2006-08, the Government made the announcement to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Chennai.
Before the announcement, the Honorable minister of Transport took a tour of both Bogoto, Columbia and Ahmedabad, Gujrat where BRTS are successfully implemented.
The Institute of Transport Development Policy (ITDP) was entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the pre-feasibility study. The final report was submitted in 2011 to the Department of Transportation, Government of Tamilnadu.
Corridors
In the pre-feasibility report, ITDP had identified 250 kms of BRTS for Chennai that would complement the Chennai Metro Rail network. This was spread over 3 phases. In phase 1, the following 7 corridors with a combined length of 120 km on roads where there is adequate right-of-way was chosen.
| Corridor No | Origin | Destination | Length (km) |
| 1 | Koyambedu | Poonamallee | 14 |
| 2 | Koyambedu | Ambattur | 7.7 |
| 3 | Koyambedu | Madhavaram | 12.4 |
| 4 | Saidapet | Siruseri | 24.25 |
| 5 | Saidapet | Mahindra World City | 42 |
| 6 | Chrompet | Thoraipakkam | 10.6 |
| 7 | Koyambedu | Saidapet | 9 |
Current Status
Currently ICRA has bagged the tender for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the BRTS project in Chennai for 7 corridors. Their report is expected by mid 2017. Pallavan Transport Consultancy Services (PTCS) is managing the project. The DPR is being prepared for 120 km across 7 corridors.
The project has been delayed due to a variety of reasons. The final DPR is now expected around mid 2018.