Chennai: Kilambakkam railway station and the 275m-long skywalk to link the station to the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT) are likely to be inaugurated in March. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has set strict deadlines for various works to complete the skywalk construction.With just a day of work left to correct the deflection identified on the erected arm across GST Road, the officials plan to erect the other arm in the first week of March. “The structure is taking shape well from the railway station end as well, and it will be ready to link when the second arm over the GST Road is installed. It can be done overnight as the girder is assembled on the ground, and vehicles can be diverted via Athanur during the work,” said CMDA officials.Though KCBT was inaugurated in Dec 2023 and mofussil bus operations were shifted there from Koyambedu, the lack of multi-modal connectivity made accessing KCBT difficult for those travelling to southern districts. Later, the state govt and the railways decided to have a Kilambakkam suburban railway station between Vandalur and Guduvanchery railway station. While the alighting points at the KCBT end were completed long ago, the CUBE team from IIT Madras, identified load deflection on the arm of the skywalk that runs over the GST Road from the bus terminus to the median. “The deflection arose because the contractor, instead of launching the girder as a single unit, built it in situ like a concrete structure. Even though it is structurally strong, we do not want to leave any scope for major rectification work later. So, the girder members are strengthened by extending their length,” added an official.When the skywalk across the GST Road is established, it would create seamless connectivity between Kilambakkam railway station and KCBT. “We just have to lay tiles and place the roof,” said a CMDA official.Meanwhile, CUMTA is coordinating with the railways to extend the skywalk to the island platform in Kilambakkam railway station. “Three tracks have to be partially closed while extending the skywalk to the island platform, and power supply to the high-tension overhead lines should be suspended for safety reasons. We are now holding talks with the railways for the work. It will be carried out in the next few weeks,” said a CUMTA official.
