15.3 km Metro Line Connecting Chennai Airport And Upcoming Kilambakkam Bus Terminus Gets Approval City's Nodal Transport Authority CUMTA

The proposed 15.3 km metro line connecting Chennai Airport and Kilambakkam has been approved by Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), the nodal authority for implementation of transportation projects in the city.

A high powered committee of the agency has also recommended to fast track the project given that the under construction Kilambakkam Bus Terminus is likely to be commissioned early next year.

Given that the project has been approved by the nodal agency, the state government okaying the project is likely to be a formality. Once the formal nod is secured from the M.K Stalin-led DMK government, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), needs to seek Centre’s approval and also work out the funding model.

As per the finalised project DPR, the construction of new metro line is estimated to cost Rs 4080 crore. CMRCL also needs to complete the land acquisition and then float the tender for the project. Given the series of steps involved, the actual project work is likely to commence by mid-2024.

In July this year, the project cleared a major hurdle with CMRL and the state highways department resolving the design issues related to the project.

The plan by state Highways department to build an elevated corridor till Tambaram threw a spanner in the works for the proposed blue line of Chennai Metro. However both the agencies have now reached an agreement over which level the viaduct of Metro Rail should be built and the height of the elevated metro corridor. The construction work on the project is likely to commence by April 2023.

The project has faced considerable delay in taking off due to the design challenges to meet both the requirements of metro and elevated corridors.

Project Details

The Chennai Airport-Kilambakkam blue line is an extension of the already operational Corridor 1 (Washermenpet to Chennai Airport) under the Phase-I of Chennai metro. It will be built as an elevated stretch along GST road.

The feasibility report for Airport- Kilambakkam line was completed in 2019 by Larsen and Toubro Infrastructure Engineering. The preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) was delayed with CMRL submitting the DPR to the state government in early 2022.

As part of the feasibility study, three alignments were considered - a 16 km stretch along GST road, 19km stretch from GST Road (Grand Southern Trunk Road) till Tambaram and Mudichur Road and 20 km stretch that passes from Airport-Cantonment-Pallavaram Bus Stand GST Road via Hastinapuram and Tambaram West, Mudichur Road to Kilambakkam,

The CMRL, however, has finalised the GST alignment Since the proposed alignment runs parallel to the suburban train service from Beach to Tambaram, concerns were expressed that it would impact the Metro’s ridership. But CMRL decided to go for alignment along GST as it would be fully an elevated corridor and requires less land acquisition than others two options.

The 15.3-km Airport-Kilambakkam project is estimated to cost ₹4,080 crore, will run through important locations in the southern suburbs with 13 station planned at Pallavaram, Kothandam Nagar, Chromepet, Mahalakshmi Colony, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Tambaram, Irumbuliyur, Peerkankaranai, Perungalathur, Vandalur, Arignar Anna Zoo and Kilambakkam Bus Terminus.

Upcoming CMDA Bus Terminus In Kilambakkam

The Airport-Kilambakkam metro line will provide a major boost to connectivity to newly emerging suburbs in the southern periphery of the city.The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is constructing at bus terminus at an estimate cost of ₹394 crore in Kilambakkam, in a bid to decongest Koyambedu. The south-bound buses will start from here. With over 90% of the work on the project completed, the CMDA is hoping to inaugurate the terminal by early next year.

The new terminus, once completed, is expected to cater to about 1.5 lakh passengers with a parking space for 250 buses, 270 cars and 3,500 two-wheelers. After project completion, all buses to the southern districts would depart from Kilambakkam.