Kilambakkam Skywalk Project Delayed to December Over Railway and Traffic Clearances

The ₹79 crore skywalk project linking the Kilambakkam Bus Terminus with the newly constructed halt railway station has been delayed and is now expected to be completed by early December. The project, which is being executed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) across GST Road near Tambaram, has faced setbacks due to pending traffic police clearances and required permissions from the Southern Railway.

While Southern Railway officials confirmed that the civil work for the construction of the halt railway station has been completed, the overall opening remains stalled due to the pending installation of the skywalk.

According to a senior CMDA official, the skywalk project is being executed in three distinct phases. The first phase involves installing the first deck on GST Road towards Chengalpattu, where the first girder has already been installed and work on installing lifts at the bus terminus is currently underway.

The second phase, which involves constructing the second deck towards Tambaram, has been delayed because the contractor is still awaiting clearance from the traffic police. Meanwhile, work on the third phase to link the railway station through acquired private land has commenced, with more than 20 percent of the work completed.

A major hurdle remains in obtaining permission from Southern Railway to install a girder across the railway tracks and build an island platform. A CMDA official stated that permission has been sought to fix the girder, but railway authorities have not yet given the go-ahead. The installation will require halting train services for a minimum of five hours to safely complete the work.

The delay has caused frustration among local commuters who have been waiting for the link to open. S. Dinesh, a resident of Guduvanchery, noted that the halt railway station was originally expected to open last year and demanded that the skywalk project be expedited to safely connect pedestrians between the bus terminus and the railway station.