Chennai's Airport-Kilambakkam Metro to Operate Above Elevated Road.

After extensive deliberations, the design for the Airport-Kilambakkam metro extension has been finalized. Under the revised plan, metro trains will run at level-2, while an elevated road will be positioned at level-1 along GST Road.

The detailed project report (DPR), estimating a project cost of ₹9,335 crore, has been submitted for government approval. The 15.46 km extension will pass through Pallavaram, Chromepet, Tambaram, Perungalathur, and Vandalur, featuring 13 elevated stations and a depot opposite the Kilambakkam bus terminal.

Intermediate ramps near Tambaram will provide access to the Outer Ring Road, and the elevated road will extend into the Kilambakkam bus stand with potential for future expansion to Chengalpet, said T. Archunan, Director (Projects), CMRL.

The final design aligns with the St. Thomas Mount-Poonamallee metro corridor, which also features a two-level structure. Minor modifications will be made to the rotary flyovers at Pallavaram and Chromepet to maintain uninterrupted straight traffic while ensuring access for crossing vehicles.

South Chennai residents have welcomed the DPR, which had been under review since 2018. "We urge the government to approve it in the upcoming budget and send it to the Centre for clearances and funding," said Dayanand Krishnan, a Tambaram-based resident-activist who has repeatedly petitioned CMRL and the state. He emphasized that constructing both the metro and the elevated road simultaneously would help prevent delays seen in past projects. "Unlike Anna Salai, where the highways department is building an elevated corridor nearly a decade after metro construction, this plan for GST Road will minimize traffic disruptions."

The initial metro plan lacked an elevated road, with CMRL initially proposing an 18-20m high corridor. The highways department pushed for integration, but a parallel layout with three columns was deemed impractical. A level-3 metro and level-2 road option was considered but ultimately dropped due to high costs.

ET