Skywalk at Kilambakkam hangs in balance over land acquisition troubles
To safely ferry the passengers across the busy Chennai-Trichy National Highway, the 500-metre skywalk equipped with escalators and lifts was planned.
Kilambakkam bus terminus
CHENNAI: Failure to reach an agreement with private land owners has put the works for the skywalk connecting the Kilambakkam bus terminus with a proposed railway station at a standstill, creating further delays for the integrated transport hub and prolonging the hardship of several thousand commuters.
To safely ferry the passengers across the busy Chennai-Trichy National Highway, the 500-metre skywalk equipped with escalators and lifts was planned. However, as the land acquisition has hit a roadblock, the project is facing a complete halt, reports say.
The proposed Kilambakkam railway station also grapples with postponement fears triggered by this stalemate. Initially slated for a December 2024 opening, the station is now unlikely to be operational before March 2026.
Railway officials also cite slow progress as only one of three platforms is complete, and the upcoming monsoon is expected to cause further delays.
The Rs 400 crore-Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus was inaugurated in December 2023 to decongest the city by relocating the long-distance bus services from Koyambedu. While successful in terms of usage—with daily footfall exceeding 1.3 lakh—the terminus has glaringly highlighted the lack of last-mile connectivity.
A majority of passengers rely on costly and inconvenient auto-rickshaws from nearby stations like Vandalur. The skywalk and new railway station were the state's direct solutions to this problem.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) was allocated Rs 79 crore for the skywalk, while the state government gave Rs 20 crore to the Railways for the station and handed over the required land.
With the festive season fast approaching, the passenger traffic is set to soar. Many fear a repeat of the severe difficulties they experienced during the 2025 Pongal festival.
Passenger associations are now urgently calling on the Chengalpattu district administration and the CMDA to resolve the land compensation issue and on the state government to pressure railway authorities to expedite construction, stating that the current situation is causing immense daily hardship for lakhs of people.
