19-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Relief in sight for KCBT commuters as railway station to start operations from July
CHENNAI: Bus commuters facing hardship in accessing the Kilambakkam Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT), located 25-30km from Chennai city, can expect relief soon. The Chennai Railway Division plans to commence operations at the Kilambakkam railway station from the first week of July.
Divisional Railway Manager B Vishwanath Eerya told TNIE that one platform has been completed along with shelters. 'Work on another platform will be completed within 30 days. A temporary ticket office will also be set up. Train stoppages are expected to begin in the first week of July. However, the state government should finish the foot overbridge (FOB) construction beforehand. Allowing trains to stop before that could pose a safety risk to commuters,' he said.
Besides, officials from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) confirmed that the issues surrounding the acquisition of 1.45 acres of land near the Kilambakkam railway station have been resolved.
Construction of a 450-metre pedestrian skywalk, which will connect KCBT to the railway station across GST Road, is expected to resume shortly. The proposed FOB will also connect to GST Road with ascending and descending escalators, effectively eliminating the need for pedestrians to cross the busy roadway.
The land-owning company, Premier Leather Corporation, has recently submitted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the state government to carry out the skywalk construction while land acquisition was under way. However, construction of the FOB could not resume immediately, as minor design modifications were required to comply with the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) guidelines, as recommended by Southern Railway.
