Transportation in Raipur

Raipur which was formerly a part of Madhya Pradesh is now the capital city of the newly formed Chhattisgarh, State. It is a fast-developing city in terms of industrial & economic growth, administrative center as well as an important tourist destination. To meet this growing in-flux of tourists, business travellers & others, an adequate transport system is much required. The district administration is thus steering all efforts to establish a cost-effective, easily accessible & time saving transportation system. Raipur is thus well-connected by roads, railways & airways to other parts of the country and has good traveling facilities to the general public.

Railways in Raipur

Situated on the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line of the Indian Railways, Raipur city falls under the South East Central Railway Zone. It is well connected with major cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Katni, Itarsi, Gondia, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Saugor, Bangalore, Kota, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, etc. with regular trains plying to & fro. Major export from Chhattisgarh is done through a branch line originating from Raipur to Vizianagaram. Plans are underway to convert a narrow gauge line running from Raipur to Rajim & Dhamtari into a broad gauge line so that it can serve the city of Naya Raipur.

Raipur Junction railway station
Address: Station Road, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Line(s): Bilaspur-Nagpur section of Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line and Raipur-Vizianagaram line
Station code : R
Zone(s) : South East Central Railway
Division(s): Raipur
General Enquiry: 139 /2528130/ 2528131
Reservation Enquiry: 136/2525628/2520632

Raipur Railway Station having 7 numbers of platforms holds the merit of being amongst the few railway stations in India to be given the grade A-1. The Raipur Railway Station is also counted as one of the highest revenue earning railway stations in India Indian Railways and falls in the list of top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways. An important station on the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line, it also functions as the originating point of the Raipur-Vizianagarm branch line.

Roadways in Raipur

Raipur City is well-connected to other major cities & neighboring villages & towns by a network of roads & highways. The district administration is constantly engaged in constructing new roads, maintaining existing ones and developing new flyovers & underpasses to save time & money during road travel. Chhattisgarh State Road Transport Corporation (CSRTC) operates busses on a daily basis between Chhattisgarh & Madhya Pradesh States. One can easily reach Raipur by road through bus, taxi or by private vehicles. The well-developed road infrastructure also helps in easy transport of goods to & fro from the city.

List of National Highways connecting Raipur to Major Cities
NH 6 - Hajira - Dhule- Nagpur- Raipur- Mahasamund - Sambalpur – Baharagora - Kolkatta
NH 43 - Raipur-Vizianagaram Junction with National Highway No. 5 near Natavalasa
NH 200 - Raipur-Bilaspur-Raigarh-Kanaktora-Jharsuguda-Kochinda-Deogarh-Talcher-Chandhikhol
NH 217 - Raipur- Mahasamund - Gopalpur
NH 12A - Raipur-Jhansi

Asian Highway Number 46 - AH46 passes through Raipur

Airways in Raipur

Being the capital city a state of the art airport is present in Raipur city, to facilitate the movement of VIPs, Industrialists as well as the common people. The Swami Vivekananda Airport also known as the Mana Airport is located at a distance of nearly 15 kms from the center of the city. It is considered to be an important airport in the state of Chhattisgarh catering to the majority of air-traffic.

Swami Vivekananda Airport
After its renovation in 2006 by the Airport Authority of India, the airport has witnessed a considerable increase in traffic. To meet this growing demand a new Airport Terminal is being proposed. The Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur operates nearly 38 flights daily and thus connects Raipur to most of the major airports in India. The airport has facilities like waiting lounge, food counters & washrooms along with night landing facilities and a CAT- 1 Instrument Landing System (ILS). In future air cargo operations are also going to be started from this airport. Some of the major airlines offering flight services from here are Air India, IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetKonnect, Air Odisha, etc.

IATA: RPR – ICAO: VARP
Location: Mana, Raipur, India
Telephone: +91-771-2418167
Fax: +91-771-2418168
Email Id: [email protected]
Website: https://www.aai.aero/allairports/raipur_generalinfo.jsp

Local Transportation in Raipur

For travelling within the city a large number of auto-rickshaws, tuk-tuk, taxis and busses are easily available besides the hundreds of private vehicles like motor-cycles, scooters, cars, etc. These public transportation systems are very affordable and can be availed from any part of the city. One can take the guidance of local people related to routes, nearest bus-stand and the fares.Many Government & Private busses run at regular intervals from the bus-stands in Raipur to neighboring cities & towns. Raipur City Bus Limited (RCBL) is responsible to provide bus service for intra-city travel in Raipur; it has nearly 40 buses operating under it. Besides this 100 new buses under JNNURM have been introduced by by Raipur Nagar Nigam Transport Limited (RNNTL)to ply in Raipur & Naya Raipur.

Pagaria Complex Bus Stand
Address: Pagaria Complex Parking Area, Pandri, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Minimata Bus Stand
Address: Bus Stand Road, Pandri, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

City Bus Stand
Address: Bus Lane, Station Road, Moudhapara, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Kalibari Bus Stand
Address: National Highway 200, Janta Colony, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Ayurvedic College Bus Stand
Address: GE Road, Ramkund, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

NIT Raipur Bus Stop
Address: GE Road, Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla University Campus, Amanaka, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh Transport Department
Address: Bus Stand Road, Pandri, Raipur, Chhattisgarh

To conclude we may say that Raipurt is well connected via road, rail & air thus making it an easily accessible tourist destination. One can easily move around the city or state by means of private vehicles like scooters, motor-cycles or car, but a wide range of options are also available if you need to travel by public transport. Buses, auto rickshaws, shared tempos, cycle rickshaws, taxis, etc. are the major means of local transportation in the state. Today one can see a number of cars, mopeds, bikes, scooters, etc. running on the roads. One can avail pre-paid Taxis & autos or book cabs at a fixed rate, depending upon the distance travelled. For sightseeing, one can book rental cars and bus services. To travel within the city auto-rickshaws, shared tempos & cycle rickshaws provide a convenient, easily available and affordable transportation option. One should keep in mind that charges during the night maybe a little more than day time charges. It is always good to take the advice of local people on the most suitable option to travel to any particular place and about the local routes and short-cuts.