Chennai, Aug 15:
The much-awaited Kilambakkam railway station, being developed to provide rail connectivity to the Kilambakkam mofussil bus terminus, is likely to be commissioned around Deepavali 2026, with most of the railway-side works nearing completion.
Chennai Railway Division General Manager Shailendra Singh said the major physical works on the railway side had been completed. Track and platform works, the key components of the station, are largely ready.
Platform 1 has been completed, while work on Platforms 2 and 3 is nearing completion. A temporary booking office and toilet block have also been completed on Platform 1.
The major work pending is the skywalk connecting the railway station with the Kilambakkam bus terminus across GST Road. The facility is expected to allow passengers to move safely between the two transport hubs without having to cross the busy highway at road level.
Around 30% of the skywalk work has been completed. The portion of the structure that crosses the railway tracks requires approval from the Principal Chief Engineer of Southern Railway. The Tamil Nadu government has already sought the necessary clearance.
The Railways and the State government are also working on a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to finalise responsibility for maintaining the facility after the station is commissioned.
Chennai rail traffic on the rise
The station project comes amid a rise in passenger and freight traffic in the Chennai Railway Division.
The division recorded ₹5,038.30 crore in earnings during 2025-26, crossing the ₹5,000-crore mark for the first time and registering a 9.26% increase over the previous financial year.
Passenger traffic rose to 432.98 million in 2025-26, from 425 million in 2024-25. Freight loading also increased by 6.20% to 11.33 million tonnes.
Several capacity projects underway
Several railway capacity augmentation projects are progressing in Chennai and neighbouring areas, including the Chengalpattu-Arakkonam doubling project, Tambaram-Chengalpattu fourth line, Perambur-Ambattur fifth and sixth lines, and Attipattu-Gummidipoondi third and fourth lines.
The 67.79-km Chengalpattu-Arakkonam doubling project has a sanctioned cost of ₹926.52 crore. Once completed, the capacity of the section is expected to increase substantially, supporting the proposed 192-km circular suburban rail network linking Chennai Beach, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Arakkonam and Avadi.
The 30.021-km Tambaram-Chengalpattu fourth-line project has been sanctioned at ₹713.56 crore, while the Perambur-Ambattur fifth and sixth lines and the Attipattu-Gummidipoondi third and fourth lines have been sanctioned at ₹177.82 crore and ₹365.42 crore respectively.
Once operational, the Kilambakkam railway station and its connecting skywalk are expected to significantly improve last-mile connectivity for passengers using the southern suburbs’ major bus terminus, providing a direct and safer link between rail and road transport.