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Kilambakkam Station, Skywalk Opening Delayed To January 2026

2025-10-08

The long-awaited Kilambakkam railway station and pedestrian skywalk connecting it to the Kilambakkam Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) will now open only by January 2026, after multiple construction delays by both the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and Southern Railway. The postponement has left thousands of commuters struggling with poor connectivity during the ongoing festive season.

Located nearly 25 kilometres from Chennai, KCBT serves as a major hub for mofussil and SETC buses heading to districts across Tamil Nadu. In the absence of train connectivity, commuters are spending between Rs 300 and Rs 500 on autorickshaws and cabs to reach the terminus. With no foot overbridge (FOB) or pedestrian pathway in place, hundreds continue to risk their lives crossing the busy GST Road on foot to access the bus stand.

The halt station project, which began in September 2023 with a 12-month deadline, has seen minimal progress despite assurances that “all bottlenecks have been cleared”. The 450-metre-long skywalk across GST Road, meant to provide safe access from the railway station to the terminus, also remains incomplete, with little visible work in front of KCBT.

The state government has already transferred Rs 200 million to the Railways for station development. However, both agencies have blamed each other for the delay. Southern Railway officials stated that while one platform with shelters has been completed, the 400-metre island platform is still under construction, with earth-filling and foundation works currently under way.

A spokesperson from the Chennai railway division said,

“CMDA’s delay in completing the foot overbridge has stalled the remaining station works. Once the FOB is finished, we will take up the pending platform construction.”

Meanwhile, CMDA officials said that pillars for the FOB have been installed at the MTC bus stand, and work on the skywalk over GST Road will proceed in two phases — one section after Ayudha Pooja, and the other after Deepavali, with the full structure expected to be completed by January 2026.

KCBT currently handles nearly 200,000 commuters on weekends and festival days, but lacks direct public transport links apart from city buses. This has forced passengers travelling to the southern, delta, and northern districts to depend on costly private transport.

S. Rajarathinam, a commuter from St. Thomas Mount, said,

“Fearing traffic congestion, I reached the bus stand two hours early for my SETC bus. I spent Rs 400 just to get there. The government should not have shifted the terminus without ensuring proper public transport connectivity.”

The delay in completing the Kilambakkam station and skywalk has once again highlighted coordination lapses between CMDA and Southern Railway, frustrating commuters who were promised a seamless transport corridor to one of Chennai’s busiest bus terminals.

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