Kilambakkam to be city’s next hotspot with bus, metro, rail links

CHENNAI: Kilambakkam, which is to house Chennai’s third bus terminal, is all set to become the next hotspot of development as the state government already proposed to link the locality with Metrorail and a new suburban railway station.

The 88-acre sprawling bus stand will house 2,350 buses including private omnibuses and is being constructed at a cost of Rs. 315 crore by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). While addressing the press recently, state housing and urban development minister S Muthusamy said that the works will be completed by the Pongal festival in January.

Originally proposed to decongest Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) in Koyambedu, the Kilambakkam bus terminus will house buses bound to southern districts.

Anticipating increased traffic congestion on the Grand Southern Trunk Road, on which the new bus terminus is coming up, the CMDA, along with Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), has plans to construct a suburban railway station at Kilambakkam, between Vandalur and Urapakkam railway stations, and integrate them with multi modal hub. Tenders have been floated to appoint consultants to study the feasibility of constructing the railway station and link the bus terminus and proposed railway station with a skywalk so that passengers could traverse easily.

Recently, in-principle approval has been given to link Kilambakkam and Chennai Airport with Metrorail at the authority meeting of CUMTA, which was headed by chief minister MK Stalin.

Meanwhile, an official said that there is a proposal to construct a flyover in front of the bus terminus so that the buses can enter and exit the facility without hindering the movement of other vehicles on Grand Southern Trunk Road.

Experts opine that the new bus stand will boost rapid growth in Kilambakkam and other nearby areas as the locality will be well connected with bus, train and Metrorail. Moreover, the government’s announcement of allowing higher Floor Space Index (FSI) along the major roads, suburban railway lines and Metro corridors will also boost development around Kilambakkam.

KP Subramanian, former professor of urban engineering at Anna University, who actively participates in stakeholders’ consultations on various urban development projects, said that even though Kilambakkam will not witness rapid growth like Koyambedu, it will definitely become congested.

“When the Koyambedu bus stand was constructed, it was the only bus terminus in the city. Now, there are decentralized bus stands like Madhavaram, Kilambakkam and a proposed bus stand in Thirumazhisai. However, the government should spread development to other cities like Coimbatore, Madurai and others so that concentration of population in Chennai can be avoided, “ he opined.

KM Sadhanandh of Association of Professional Town Planners said that there is a lack of futuristic thinking while implementing such projects. “Projects are implemented only as a remedial measure. The planning authority should forecast developments and include them in master plans. Also, land should be reserved near the new bus stand for future requirements,” he said.

Presently, buses to Andhra Pradesh are being operated from Madhavaram. Once Thirumazhisai bus stand work is completed, buses to western districts will be operated from there. Also, CMDA has initiated a study to construct a bus stand in Mahabalipuram.