Kilambakkam Bus Terminus

Kilambakkam Bus Terminus, officially Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus, is a bus terminus in Kilambakkam, a southern suburb of Chennai, India. Situated along the GST Road, it became operational on 30 December 2023. Spread over an area of , it was built to decongest the existing bus terminus at Koyambedu in Chennai. It is an integrated bus terminus for mofussil buses operated by TNSTC, SETC, KSRTC, KSRTC SWIFT and contract carriage buses. The terminus is connected to other parts of the Chennai Metropolitan Area and suburbs by MTC buses.

History

In 2016, Government of Tamil Nadu planned to construct a new bus terminus at Kilambakkam near Vandalur in South Chennai as a part of a plan to de-congest the existing bus terminus at Koyambedu. The area earmarked for the construction of the Kilambakkam Bus terminus was within a protected zone declared by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as it contained megalithic sites. According to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), all constructions are banned within 100 meters of ASI protected areas and any construction of a building with 200 meters of such areas requires permission from National Monument Authority (NMA). Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) commissioned Reach Foundation to undertake a heritage impact assessment study on the development of Kilambakkam Bus Terminus.

The works were ceased as clearance was pending from the National Monument Authority. In February 2019, clearance was given for the construction of bus terminus with specific conditions including no further development in the 100 meter prohibited area except greenery and the involvement of archaeologists at the time of excavation and mitigation measures to be taken at the time of construction if artefacts are found. The foundation stone for the project was laid on 22 February 2019 by Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K. Palaniswami. Kilambakkam Bus Terminus was officially renamed as Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus and Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus was inaugurated on 30 December 2023 by Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. K. Stalin.

Financials

The project was projected to cost including for the main terminal buildings. The operational expenditure was estimated at per year with projected revenues of . The projected ended up costing .

Infrastructure

The bus terminus is built on a land area of with a total built-up area of . It was done on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. The terminus consists of 215 bus bays including 130 bays for government buses and 85 bays for private contract carriages, situated across 14 platforms in 8 bus fingers. It has a lay-off area for buses and a parking area that can accommodate 324 cars and 2,769 two-wheeler. The bus station is equipped with ticket counters, information centers and other essential facilities like toilets, drinking water, dormitories, feeding rooms, police station, pharmacy, fire station, ATMs. The bus station has a commercial complex which hosts restaurants and retail stores. The bus terminus is constructed to be transgender and disabled friendly.

Connections

Last mile connectivity is provided by Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses. Concerns have been raised regarding the last mile connectivity to the bus terminus as the bus station was located away from the city and there was no existing suburban railway link to the station.

While the bus terminus is located along the South line of Chennai Suburban Railway, construction of Kilambakkam railway station near the bus terminus is under progress which will be connected by a skyway. An extension of the Blue Line of Chennai Metro from the Chennai International Airport to the bus terminus has been announced, with a feasibility study completed and land surveys in progress.

See also

* Broadway Bus Terminus
* Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus
* Madhavaram Mofussil Bus Terminus
* Transport in Chennai

References

{{Portal bar, India, Transport, Engineering

Bus stations in Chennai
Urban transit in Chennai