TN Earmarks ₹1,964 Crore for Chennai Airport–Kilambakkam Metro Corridor

The Tamil Nadu government has granted ₹1,964 crores to the new metro corridor between Chennai Airport and Kilambakkam, a vital stretch for public transport in southern Chennai.

Reports state that the corridor will run for 15.5 km and will consist of 13 elevated stations. The estimated cost for the entire project is ₹9,335 crore. The said amount will be from expected state contributions, while central assistance and external borrowings will be other avenues for funding.

The corridor will provide great connectivity from one major transit hub to the other through Pallavaram, Chromepet, Tambaram, Perungalathur, and Vandalur and conclude at Kilambakkam. Once ready, the line will directly link the airport, Tambaram railway station, and the new Kilambakkam bus terminal, thus easing travel for a lakh of commuters.

Officials said the linking metro would greatly reduce dependence on road transport along the southern stretch of the city that has suffered from traffic congestion for years. Given the rapid urban spreading of Chennai over Tambaram and the suburbs, the corridor is poised to become critical for daily rush traffic as well as long-haulers.

The budgetary allowance by the state government thus comes at a time when putting emphasis back on infrastructure projects to decongest the city and improve last-mile connectivity. The southern suburbs usually bear the brunt where for bus and train services oversaturation of the metro extension, is expected to revolutionize commuting patterns.

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has been extending its network over different phases. With this extension, it would further augment the metro footprint in Chennai to connect it with the main road, rail, and bus networks to have a unified urban transport system.

The airport-Kilambakkam corridor is a part of the overall Phase II expansion, which consists of 118.9 km of the metro within the entire city. The authorities are working for a phase-wise completion, with yet to be decided timelines for this particular stretch.

The commuters and industry stakeholders have welcomed this allocation by saying that the project can really be a game-changer when it comes to travel for the southern belt in Chennai, since it would give faster, safer, and more reliable options for transit.