Communication

Communication Roadways The State has a total road length of , km, In which ,628km are maintained by state Highways Department. It ranks second in India with a share of over % in total road projects under operation in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Railways Tamil Nadu has a well-developed rail network as part of Southern Railway, headquartered at Chennai. The present Southern Railway network extends over a large area of India’s southern peninsula, covering Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, minor portions of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Chennai has a well-established suburban railway network, a m ass rapid transport system (MRTS) and is currently developing a Metro system, with its first underground stretch in operation since May . Airways Tamil Nadu has four major international airports. Chennai International Airport is currently the third largest airport in India after Mumbai and Delhi. Other international airports in Tamil Nadu include Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirapalli airports. It also has domestic airports at Tuticorin and Salem. Waterways Tamil Nadu has three major ports. They are in Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin. It has an intermediate port at Nagapattinam and minor ports. All the minor ports are managed by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, Chennai Port. This is an artificial harbour and the second principal port in the country for handling containers.