Infrastructure

First segment of the Buckingham Canal opens

In 1806 a saltwater canal linking Madras with Ennore was finished; it would later form part of the Buckingham Canal.

Red Hill Railway carries granite to Madras

Built by Arthur Cotton as an early experiment, the Red Hill Railway hauled granite from Red Hills into Madras for road works.

Arthur Cotton builds the Upper Anaicut at Mukkombu

Arthur Cotton built the Upper Anaicut regulator where the Kollidam branches from the Kaveri, between 1836 and 1838.

Madras's first standalone lighthouse begins operation

A granite Doric column built north of Fort St. George began working as Madras's lighthouse on 1 January 1844.

Madras Railway Company formed

The Madras Railway was established to build the first main line railways of South India.

Wellington cantonment established in the Nilgiris

The military station of Jakkatalla in the Nilgiris was renamed Wellington and construction of its barracks began.

Railway construction begins at Royapuram

Work on South India's first main railway line, from Madras towards Arcot, began at Royapuram in 1853.

First train in South India, Royapuram to Wallajah Road

The Madras Railway opened South India's first railway line, from Royapuram in Madras to Wallajah Road near Arcot.

Madras Railway reaches the west coast at Beypore

The Madras Railway completed its line to Beypore, linking Madras by rail with the west coast; a branch to Bangalore followed in 1864.

Napier Bridge built over the Cooum

Planned by Governor Lord Napier, a cast iron lattice bridge went up over the Cooum's mouth, joining Fort St. George to the Marina side.

Carnatic Railway Company founded

Founded in 1869, the Carnatic Railway Company combined with the Great Southern of India Railway in 1874 to create the South Indian Railway.

Madras and Bombay linked by rail at Raichur

At Raichur the Madras Railway met the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, opening a through rail route from Madras to Bombay.

Madras Central railway station built

Designed by George Harding and later altered by Robert Chisholm, Madras Central station was put up by the Madras Railway as its terminus in the city.

South Indian Railway Company formed

In 1874 the Great Southern of India Railway merged with the Carnatic Railway to create the South Indian Railway Company, later based at Trichinopoly.

Red Hills (Puzhal) reservoir built for Madras

The Puzhal reservoir at Red Hills was built to supply water to Madras, and remains one of the city's main reservoirs.

Buckingham Canal extended as famine relief

A section of the coastal canal linking the Adyar and Cooum rivers was dug as famine relief work, and the canal was renamed the Buckingham Canal.

Madras Harbour begins operations

An artificial harbour at Madras began handling ships in 1881, though a cyclone the same year wrecked much of the breakwater.

Governor Grant Duff creates the Marina promenade

Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone Grant Duff laid out a promenade along the Madras beach in 1884 and named it the Marina.

Electric trams begin in Madras

The Madras Electric Tramways began service, the first electric tram system in India.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway opens to Coonoor

In June 1899 the Nilgiris rack railway between Mettupalayam and Coonoor was finished and began carrying traffic.

Madras Egmore station building opens

The Indo-Saracenic terminal of Egmore station, Madras terminus of the South Indian Railway, was opened on 11 June 1908.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway reaches Ooty

The rack railway from Mettupalayam, opened to Coonoor in 1899, was extended to Udhagamandalam (Ooty) in 1908.

Pamban railway bridge opens

The Pamban Bridge, India's first sea bridge, opened, linking Rameswaram on Pamban Island to the mainland by rail.

Golden Rock railway workshop opens at Tiruchirappalli

The South Indian Railway moved its central workshop from Nagapattinam to Golden Rock in Tiruchirappalli.

Madras aerodrome and Madras Flying Club begin operations

The Madras Flying Club came into existence and the Madras aerodrome, ancestor of Chennai airport, was commissioned.

First electric suburban trains in Madras

The first electric suburban rail service in Madras began between Madras Beach and Tambaram.

Pykara hydroelectric power station commissioned

The Pykara hydroelectric scheme in the Nilgiris began generating power, the first major hydroelectric project in the Madras Presidency.

Tata air mail service reaches Madras

Tata Air Lines' inaugural air mail run from Karachi through Bombay went on to Madras, the first scheduled flight to touch down there.

Mettur Dam completed

The Mettur Dam across the Cauvery was completed, creating the Stanley Reservoir and expanding irrigation in the delta.

S. Satyamurti becomes Mayor of Madras

Congress leader S. Satyamurti served as Mayor of Madras and pressed for the Poondi reservoir to improve the city's water supply.

First passenger terminal built at Meenambakkam airport

Meenambakkam got the first passenger terminal of Madras airport, which then served as a customs airport handling a few international flights.

Lower Bhavani (Bhavanisagar) Dam completed

Work was completed on the Bhavanisagar Dam over the Bhavani river, the first major irrigation project of independent India.

Amaravathi Dam built

The Amaravathi Dam was built across the Amaravathi river near Udumalpet for irrigation and flood control.

Madras State Electricity Board formed

The Madras State Electricity Board, later the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, took over power generation and distribution in the state.

Vaigai Dam inaugurated

Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Vaigai Dam, which supplies irrigation and drinking water to Madurai and the southern districts.

Construction of Madras Atomic Power Station begins at Kalpakkam

Work began on the Madras Atomic Power Station at Kalpakkam, India's first indigenously built nuclear power station.

Ennore Thermal Power Station commissioned

The coal-fired Ennore Thermal Power Station north of Madras began generating electricity, with units added through 1975.

Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board given statutory status

Set up in 1969, the TWAD Board was made a statutory body in charge of water supply and sewerage everywhere outside Madras.

Pallavan Transport Corporation formed for Madras buses

The Pallavan Transport Corporation took over city bus services in the Madras metropolitan area with 1,029 buses.

Anna (Gemini) Flyover opened in Madras

The Anna Flyover on Mount Road, the first flyover in Madras and then the longest in India, was opened to traffic.

Siruvani drinking water agreement for Coimbatore

Tamil Nadu and Kerala agreed that the Siruvani dam in Kerala would supply drinking water to Coimbatore.

Tuticorin major port opened

The new all-weather harbour at Tuticorin began operations as a major port, now known as V. O. Chidambaranar Port.

Poompuhar Shipping Corporation founded

The state-owned Poompuhar Shipping Corporation was founded; it later ran the ferries to the Vivekananda Rock at Kanyakumari.

Krishna water supply (Telugu Ganga) project agreed for Madras

Tamil Nadu and the Krishna basin states agreed on a scheme to carry Krishna river water to Madras city, later built as the Telugu Ganga project.

First unit of Tuticorin Thermal Power Station commissioned

The first unit of the coal-fired Tuticorin Thermal Power Station was commissioned, with further units added through 1992.

First unit of Madras Atomic Power Station reaches full power

At Kalpakkam, MAPS-1, the first nuclear power reactor India built largely on its own, reached full-power operation.

Mettur Thermal Power Station begins generating

The first unit of the Mettur Thermal Power Station, the state utility's first inland coal-fired plant, was commissioned.

Road bridge to Rameswaram opened

A road bridge parallel to the Pamban railway bridge opened, giving Rameswaram island its first road link to the mainland.

Madras Motor Race Track opens at Irungattukottai

A permanent motor racing circuit was inaugurated at Irungattukottai near Madras, becoming the centre of Indian motorsport.

Chennai MRTS opens, India's first elevated railway

India's first elevated urban railway came into service when the opening section of Chennai's Mass Rapid Transit System, linking Beach and Chepauk, began running.

Madras hosts the 7th South Asian Games

The 7th South Asian Federation Games were held in Madras, with the rebuilt Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as the main venue; India topped the medal table.

Koyambedu wholesale market complex opens

On Chennai's western side, the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex, one of the largest perishable goods markets in Asia, was opened.

Ennore declared a major port

Ennore's new port, north of Chennai, gained major port status and was incorporated as Ennore Port Limited, the first major port in India run as a company.

TIDEL Park inaugurated in Chennai

TIDEL Park, one of the largest IT parks in South Asia at the time, was inaugurated in Chennai by Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus opens at Koyambedu

The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus at Koyambedu was opened to the public, becoming the city's main hub for long-distance buses.

New Veeranam water supply project completed

A project to pipe water from Veeranam Lake to Chennai, first conceived in 1967, was completed during a severe water shortage.

Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court opens

A permanent bench of the Madras High Court began functioning in Madurai to serve the southern districts.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway added to UNESCO World Heritage list

UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension of the Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site.

Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project inaugurated

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched work on a shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka, a project later stalled by the Ram Setu dispute.

Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam

A village development programme of the Karunanidhi government aimed to give every village panchayat basic infrastructure, including a library.

Ram Setu affidavit controversy

A government affidavit telling the Supreme Court there was no historical proof that Adam's Bridge was built by Rama intensified opposition to the Sethusamudram canal.

108 free emergency ambulance service begins

The state health department launched the free 108 emergency ambulance service, run in partnership with GVK-EMRI.

Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project

A Cauvery-based drinking water scheme for Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts was begun in 2008 amid objections from Karnataka and launched in 2013.

Kathipara cloverleaf grade separator opens

The Kathipara cloverleaf interchange near Guindy, one of the largest in South Asia at the time, was fully opened to traffic.

Construction of the Chennai Metro begins

Work started on the first phase of the Chennai Metro, approved by the state government in November 2007, with an elevated viaduct at Koyambedu.

Kalaignar Veettu Vasathi Thittam to replace huts

The DMK government launched a scheme to convert thatched rural huts into permanent concrete houses over six years.

New Assembly-Secretariat complex inaugurated

A new legislature and secretariat building on Anna Salai was opened, but the next government moved back to Fort St. George and turned it into a hospital.

Anna Centenary Library opens in Kotturpuram

A large public library named after C. N. Annadurai opened in Chennai on his birth anniversary.

Kudankulam reactor 1 connected to the grid

Following years of delay and protest, the first VVER-1000 reactor at Kudankulam was synchronised with the power grid.

Chennai Outer Ring Road phase I opens

The first phase of the Chennai Outer Ring Road, built to divert traffic around the city, was opened to the public.

Chennai Metro begins service

The first stretch of Chennai Metro, between Koyambedu and Alandur, opened to passengers.

Kalaignar Centenary Library opens in Madurai

A large state-run public library named after M. Karunanidhi was opened in Madurai.

Passenger ferry between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai begins

A high-speed passenger ferry began sailing between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka's Jaffna district.

Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus opens at Kilambakkam

To ease pressure on Koyambedu, a new long-distance bus terminus was opened at Kilambakkam on the southern fringe of Chennai.

Kalaignar Kanavu Illam housing scheme

A rural housing scheme announced in the 2024-25 budget aimed to build eight lakh concrete houses and make Tamil Nadu hut-free by 2030.

Foundation of ISRO's Kulasekarapattinam launch complex

ISRO's second spaceport, for small satellite launch vehicles, was launched at Kulasekarapattinam in Thoothukudi district.

Night street race on the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit

A street circuit around Island Grounds in Chennai staged a round of the Indian Racing League alongside the F4 Indian Championship.

Glass bridge links Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock

A glass-floored pedestrian bridge over the sea linking the Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial was opened at Kanyakumari.

New Pamban rail bridge opens

India's first vertical lift sea bridge, linking Rameswaram island to the mainland, replaced the 1914 Pamban Bridge.

Parandur airport project dropped

Chief Minister Vijay announced in the Assembly that the proposed second Chennai airport at Parandur would be scrapped and a new site sought.