Chennai's economic development has been closely tied to its port and transport infrastructure. Five major roads radiate outward from Chennai:

* Erukancheri High Road to the northwest, becoming National Highway 5 to Kolkata;
* Poonamallee High Road (Periyar Salai) to the west, becoming National Highway 4 to Bangalore;

* Mount Road (Anna Salai) to the southwest, becoming National Highway 45 to Tiruchirapalli and interior Tamil Nadu;
* Madras-Tiruvallur High Road (MTH Road), built parallel to NH 4 to the west, leading to Tiruvallur;
* Beach Road to the south along the coast, becoming East Coast Road to Pondicherry and beyond.

The more important of the radial roads are connected to each other by two ring roads, the Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. A major problem facing Chennai is urban sprawl. When the Inner Ring Road was built in the early 1980s, it used to effectively bypass the city and was valuable for rapid freight movement between the southwest NH 45 and the northwest NH 5. The city grew subsequently and subsumed the road as part of itself. The Outer Ring Road was built through the late 1990s to provide a better bypass. It currently links NH 45 with NH 4, and a second stage linking NH 4 with NH 5 is planned. Elevated roadways are also being built along several sections of existing roadway to reduce travel time.

The Central Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) was opened in 2001 in Koyambedu in western Chennai. The CMBT is the largest bus station in South Asia, and serves as the terminus for all intercity buses from Chennai. The CMBT is located on the Inner Ring Road, replacing the older terminus on the Esplanade in the city centre.

Chennai Central, built in 1873 and remodelled in 1900, has been the city's main railway station since 1907, taking over from Royapuram.In addition to the roads, Chennai has a complex rail network for both passengers and freight. Three important railway lines radiate from Chennai Central station:

* West to Avadi, thence to Arakkonam, and eventually Bangalore or Mumbai;

* North to Ennore, thence to Gummidipoondi, eventually to Delhi or Kolkata;

* Looping east to the harbour, then southwest through the city to Tambaram, thence to interior Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

These railway lines are also used by commuters on suburban trains. In addition to these train lines, there is an elevated MRTS railway system, which is intended to provide a loop around the city for commuters who currently use city bus services. The MRTS is operational between Beach and Tiruvanmiyur (about 40% of the total planned length). The section between Tiruvanmiyur and Velacheri is under construction, and a stretch from Velacheri to St Thomas Mount has been approved. A suburban stretch from St Thomas Mount to Tiruvottiyur is being planned.

Chennai is connected well by air to most cities in South East Asia and the Middle East. It is connected to major aviation hubs in Europe and North America. The city is served by the Chennai International Airport.

Most of Chennai's intra-city transport requirements are met by its extensive public transport system. The bus service, which is run by the government-owned Metropolitan Transport Corporation, is generally considered efficient, but the buses themselves can get very crowded at times. The bus service, which plies about 2773 buses on 375 routes, moves an estimated 4.2 million passengers each day. In addition to the bus service, private call taxis and autos are extensively used.
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Most private vehicles are motorcycles, mopeds or scooters, all of which are preferred to cars for their fuel efficiency, maneuverability, and ease of parking.