Chennai Metro Rail’s Airport to Kilambakkam line received a fillip as it will be carried out along with phase 2 project on priority and is likely to be implemented soon.
In the first meeting of Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) held recently, in-principle approval was given. The High Powered Committee had approved this project in principle recently and the government order for this project is expected shortly, sources said.
The State government is likely to start operations in the Kilambakkam Bus Terminus by January next year, after which the traffic congestion will be exacerbated in the south, official of CUMTA said.
“Gradually, nearly 65-70 operations from CMBT will shift to Kilambakkam, 20% will move to Kuthambakkam and the remaining 10% and 15% will be taken to Madhavaram. Hence, we expect that traffic near areas like Tambaram, Chromepet and Perungalathur will increase drastically. So, we want to prioritise the Airport-Kilambakkam Metro Rail project and take it up alongside the phase 2 project itself,” he said.
Also, at Kilambakkam, there is a plan to create a railway link and a skywalk to provide connectivity with the bus terminus. “Since the Airport-Kilambakkam project will take at least a few years to be implemented, we want to first create a stop for suburban rail at Kilambakkam. We have planned how to execute this process and want to have the railway link by early 2024,” he added.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), after the government order is issued, they will seek Centre’s approval and also seek funding options. “Once we receive the minutes of meeting and the GO, we will send a proposal and ask for approvals and fund assistance,” an official said.
The Airport-Kilambakkam project whose estimated cost is ₹4,080 crore and stretches for 15.3 km covers 12 stations, including Pallavaram, Kothandam Nagar, Chromepet, Mahalakshmi Colony, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Tambaram, Irumbuliyur, Peerkankaranai, Perungalathur, Vandalur, Arignar Anna Zoo and Kilambakkam Bus Terminus.
