Kilambakkam Bus Stand: Its Advantages

Introduction

The Vandalur Kilambakkam Bus Terminus is being built in Kilambakkam on GST Road, Chennai, to serve the bus services in southern Tamil Nadu. It is 88.52 acres (358,200 m2) to relieve congestion at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu. It will handle buses to the southern Tamil Nadu region. It serves as an integrated bus terminal for the government’s MTC buses, omnibuses, and mofussil buses.

Timeline:

On April 30, 2012, former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa announced a new bus stand project. The Vandalur zone would be the location of the proposed bus stop.

The 88 acres needed to construct the bus terminal are located within the Archaeological Survey of India’s protected and restricted area because they are home to “Megalithic Burial Sites.” All construction is prohibited within 100 meters of ASI-protected areas, and any construction, reconstruction, or repair of a building within 200 meters of such areas requires NMA permission, according to an amendment to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) that took effect in January 2010. 

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) requested Reach Foundation to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment to develop the terminus and submit a report. The NMA approved the construction of a bus terminal with a total height of 34 meters. The State government should establish the site’s boundary and signage. Archaeologists should also be involved in excavation and mitigation measures. 

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K. Palaniswami laid the cornerstone on February 22, 2019. The estimated cost of construction for the proposed terminus is 3,940,000,000. For this project, C.R. Narayana Rao (Consultants) Private Limited is the design and engineering consultant.

Facilities:

The project’s designated land spans an area of 88.52 acres. The total built-up area is 640,000 square feet, and there are 215 bus bays, including 130 government bus bays and 85 omnibus bays. Additionally, 3.99 acres of parking spaces for 300 extra buses, 1.99 acres for 275 cars, and 3,582 two-wheeler spaces are available at any given time.

The proposed terminus will have a public lobby measuring 2,014 square meters with the following amenities: 

• A “mother’s room,” a medical center, a clinic, two store rooms, a cloakroom, and an ATM.
• A men’s dormitory can house 100 men, a women’s dormitory can house 40 women, and four driver dormitories can house 340 drivers.
• A security/CCTV room, six electrical rooms, four restrooms on the ground floor, and a control room
• Twenty ticket booths, three transportation offices, and three-time offices
• Forty retail establishments spread across 1,402 square meters, and 2 restaurants cover 405 square meters.
• Sewage treatment plant across 0.96 acres, an electrical substation across 0.98 acres, and a fire service station over 0.54 acres.

Bus Bays:

14 platforms in 8 bus fingers make up the terminus. In a 14-acre area, Mofussil bus bays were created to accommodate 130 government buses and 85 omnibuses, providing connectivity to the southern Tamilnadu cities and towns.

An MTC bus terminal with a platform 1,100 meters long and four meters wide, covered with roofing eight meters wide, has also been planned for a 7.4-acre area next to GST Road.

A bus depot with a workshop will also be built on two acres.

About and Advantages:

The holiday season is quickly approaching, but the new bus terminal in Kilambakkam has yet to open because of unfinished construction. Because of this, traffic congestion in the city’s southern suburbs might never end.

The terminus, which will cost 397 crores to build, was supposed to be opened last year. However, the project’s state-funded contractor, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), has blamed the pandemic for the delay.

The agency had established September as the new deadline for the project when lockdown standards were relaxed earlier this year. The operation of southbound buses (to Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi) would be moved by the government from Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu to Kilambakkam. Up to 2,400 buses can be accommodated daily at the new bus station.

“We plan to finish the project in the next five months. An official said solar panels and a sponge park would be at the terminus. Once finished, the new terminus should accommodate 1.5 lakh passengers and have parking for 250 buses, 270 cars, and 3,500 two-wheelers. All buses to the southern districts would leave from Kilambakkam after the project was finished.

A separate bus stop for running buses to Koyambedu and other parts of the city has also been proposed on a five-acre plot of land. Additionally, the terminus will be connected to the Metro Rail, giving commuters access to North Chennai, Egmore, and Chennai Central.

At Kilambakkam, the CMDA intends to build a sponge park with blue-green infrastructure to collect, filter, and store runoff as a test project. After the Greater Chennai Corporation suggested one at the Kargil Nagar floodwater pumping station in the Manali zone, the park has already begun to gain popularity.

A committee will do the park’s planning made up of representatives from ASI and the CMDA. According to sources, changes have been made to the terminus’ design to save the CMDA Rs 3 crore. According to official sources, the 25-acre Kuthambakkam bus terminus in Tiruvallur, which cost Rs 307 crore to build, is anticipated to be finished by the end of the year.

The CMDA will also take on the construction of the Nemam Tank surplus course and Bangaru Canal barriers as part of its commitment to the environment. In addition, the official said, sanitation facilities will be built at Government High School in Chembarambakkam, solar panels will be installed at Government Higher Secondary School in Kuthambakkam South, and furniture and equipment for libraries will be provided for Sundaram Government School in Thirumazhisai.

The transport division finds it extremely difficult to operate the buses in Chennai’s constantly growing traffic. It should be noted that, up until 20 years ago, Broadway, a very congested area, served as the departure point for intercity buses. On 37 acres of land in Koyambedu, a new bus terminus was built at Rs 103 crores to alleviate traffic congestion on Broadway.

From 2022 on, a new bus terminal at Koyambedu has been operational, and every day, about 5 lakh passengers use this bus terminal to travel to their destinations. This Koyambedu bus terminal serves as an integrated bus terminal and provides all passengers’ transportation needs.

It has a parking lot, an omnibus stand nearby, a city bus stop, and other features. We know a new bus terminal is being constructed on 67 acres of land at Kilambakkam, close to Vandalur, for Rs 314 crores.

There are 6 acres of bus station space and parking spaces for 250 buses, 270 cars, and 3500 2-wheelers at the Kilambakkam bus terminus. The construction project is almost 90% complete and in full swing. According to the information obtained, construction on the express bus stand and city bus terminus is nearly finished.

MTC buses will operate from the Kilambakkam bus terminus after the construction is finished, and discussions about this are currently underway. The key point is that in the future, 50% of the buses will travel to and from Kilambakkam. Some senior officers in the transport department brought this to light.

A decision has been made to operate 50% of intercity buses from the new bus terminal at Kilambakkam. Buses would leave from Kilambakkam for destinations such as Trichy, Madurai, Salem, Coimbatore, and Kanniyakumari, among others.

Up to 300 MTC buses could be operated from the new bus terminal in Kilambakkam. These MTC buses from Kilambakkam would cover locations in Chennai such as Tambaram, Guindy, Koyambedu, Poonamallee, Avadi, Broadway, etc.

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) have decided to build a new suburban railway station close to the bus stand as the Kilambakkam bus terminus is almost finished and is anticipated to open during Pongal. A skywalk will also connect the proposed railway station and the bus stop.

An official has stated that the new railway station will be built across the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road from the Kilambakkam bus stop, between the Vandalur and Urapakkam railway stations.

“We’ve already had a conversation with Southern Railway officials and higher-ups. The construction of the railroad station has received preliminary approval from the railways. Following the guidelines set forth by the railway department, we will build the railroad stations, “said the official.

He added that a skywalk would connect the proposed railway station and bus stop with calculators, elevators, and other amenities. The length of the skywalk will be 450 meters.

“The passengers from the city who come to the bus stop to board mofussil buses will find the skywalk useful. Additionally, this will ease congestion at the Perungalathur bus terminal, “the official clarified.

Metro

According to a recently completed feasibility study and ongoing land surveys, the Chennai Metro Blue Line and Purple Line will be extended to the bus terminal.

Conclusion

From the new bus stand, up to 2,350 buses will be run to southern districts.

The planning authority is discussing with the National Highways Authority of India to build a flyover in addition to the new railway station and skywalk so that buses can make a “U” turn without causing traffic jams on the GST Road.