Chennai Metro’s Airport-Kilambakkam Corridor Gets TN Nod, Centre’s Approval Awaited

The government has given a green signal to the much-awaited Airport-Kilambakkam corridor of the Chennai Metro Rail and sent the detailed project report (DPR) to the Centre for sanction and funding in the form of equity-sharing mechanism. Costed at ₹9,335 crore, the project will greatly improve the connectivities of the people of south Chennai, i.e., Pallavaram, Chromepet, Tambaram, Perungalathur, and Kilambakkam.

The 15.46-km elevated line will run along GST Road, with stations at Pallavaram, Chromepet, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Tambaram, Irumbuliyur, Perungalathur, Vandalur, Anna Zoological Park, and Kilambakkam. The line will be constructed as a double-decker, with the metro over an elevated road, following a series of design changes had already delayed progress.

This corridor is considered critical after the opening of the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) at Kilambakkam in December 2023. There are thousands of passengers daily that use this facility, setting up the need for easy public transport connectivity along the corridor.

Utility shifting and land acquisition are set to start in the near future. Authorities report that while the process of relocating utilities can commence in a matter of months, land acquisition will need a new notification, which will take six months to release and another 12–18 months to finish the process.

The current lack of metro connectivity in South Chennai has made it costly and time-consuming for the residents to reach the nearest metro station at the airport, with the autos ranging from ₹100 to ₹200 depending on distance. The new corridor will solve this issue and take care of the growing population of the region, which is driven by cheap real estate in the suburbs.

With the Tamil Nadu government’s go-ahead now in hand, hopes are high that the Centre will quickly approve and finance the project. Chennai Metro Rail plans to finish the corridor and connect metro services to Kodambakkam by July 2026, enhancing the city’s transportation infrastructure and easing road congestion along the busy GST Road corridor.