Kilambakkam railway station likely to open around Deepavali

CHENNAI: The new Kilambakkam railway station, developed to provide a direct rail link for passengers using the mofussil bus terminus, is likely to be commissioned before or after Deepavali, with most of the railway-side works already completed.

“The entire physical work from the Railway side has been completed. The track and platform part is the main component for us. That work, we got a deposit from the State government and we have completed it,” said Shailendra Singh, GM, Chennai Railway Division.

He added that the station’s platform 1 was completed, while Platforms 2 and 3 were nearing completion. A temporary booking office and toilet block have also been completed on Platform 1.

“The remaining major work is the skywalk connecting the bus terminus with the railway station across GST Road,” he added.

The skywalk is crucial as it would allow passengers from the terminus to reach the railway station without crossing GST Road at the road level. “Around 30% of the work is completed. The portion crossing the railway tracks requires sanction from the Principal Chief Engineer, Southern Railway, for which the State government has submitted a request,” Singh stated.

Meanwhile, the Railways and the State government are working on a draft MoU to finalise the maintenance arrangements after the station is commissioned.

The Chennai Railway Division crossed the Rs 5,000 crore mark in annual earnings for the first time, recording Rs 5,038.30 crore in 2025-26, marking a 9.26% increase over the previous financial year. Passenger traffic also increased during the year, with 432.98 million travelling on its services, up from 425 million in 2024-25. Freight loading stood at 11.33 million tonnes, registering a 6.20% increase.

Four major capacity augmentation projects sanctioned by the Railway Board are in different stages of preparation – Chengalpattu-Arakkonam doubling project, Tambaram-Chengalpattu fourth line, Perambur-Ambattur fifth and sixth lines, and Attipattu-Gummidipoondi third and fourth lines.

The 67.79-km Chengalpattu-Arakkonam doubling project has a sanctioned cost of Rs. 926.52 crore. Once completed, the capacity of the section is expected to increase from 13 trains a day to up to 50 trains a day. The project is also an important link in the proposed 192-km circular suburban rail grid connecting Beach, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Arakkonam and Avadi.

The Tambaram-Chengalpattu fourth line, covering 30.021 km, has a project cost of Rs 713.56 crore. The 6.4-km Perambur-Ambattur fifth and sixth lines have been sanctioned at Rs 177.82 crore, while the 22.52-km Attipattu-Gummidipoondi third and fourth line project has a sanctioned cost of Rs 365.42 crore.

Though the projects have received sanction, execution has not begun uniformly across the four corridors. The division said that the works were at different stages, including drawing approvals, tendering and tender finalisation, and execution will follow these processes.