Min Sekar Babu and Anbarasan inspect new Kilambakkam bus terminus

CHENNAI: Kilambakkam, which is to house Chennai’s third bus terminus, 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.

Ministers P. K. Sekar Babu and T. M. Anbarasan on Thursday inspected the work of the new integrated bus station in Kilambakkam.

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).

Addressing the Media, Sekar Babu said, the bus terminus construction work has been affected due to the cyclone and rains. Due to this, it is difficult to complete the work before the Pongal festival in January.

According to an official, the new railway station will be constructed between Vandalur and Urapakkam railway stations, opposite the Kilambakkam bus stand just across the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road.

"We have already spoken with the Southern Railway and the higher ups. The railway's have given in-principle approval for constructing the railway station. We will construct the railway stations by following the norms of railway department," the official said.

He added that the bus stand and proposed railway station will be linked by a skywalk which will have walkalators, lifts and other facilities. The skywalk will be of 450 metres in length.

"The skywalk will be helpful to the passengers from the city, who come to the bus stand to board mofussil buses. This will also reduce the congestion at Perungalathur bus terminus," the official explained.

Meanwhile, the CUMTA has floated a bid inviting consultants to prepare feasibility for constructing the new railway station and skywalk.

As many as 2,350 buses to southern districts will be operated from the new bus stand.

Apart from new railway station and skywalk, the planning authority is in talks with National Highways Authority of India to construct a flyover so that buses could take 'U' turn without causing traffic snarls on the GST Road.