Buses up against atiresome bottleneckat Airport Metro

Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has been operating both mini-bus shuttles and regular services from NLC India Airport Metro station, connecting the airport with Kilambakkam’s Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus (KCBT), Akkarai on East Coast Road, and neighbourhoods along GST Road. The services, which offer an affordable alternative to cabs and autos, have been steadily gaining patronage from air travellers and local commuters.

Passengers arriving at the NLC India Airport Metro station can easily access the bus stop located just across the short stretch within the airport premises. However, this convenience is undermined by a persistent bottleneck at the station’s exit, where buses must make a sharp left turn — effectively a tight reverse U-turn — onto GST Road.

Every evening, this narrow turn becomes severely choked. Even mini-buses struggle to negotiate the bend due to the barricaded lane allotted exclusively for vehicles exiting the Metro station.

The remaining half of the stretch, located below the flyover, is already used by vehicles coming from Pallavaram via the service lane, leaving buses with very little manoeuvring space.

Selvin, driver of mini-bus S100, which links the Metro station to Tambaram East via Pallavaram, Chromepet and Chitlapakkam, says evenings are particularly challenging.

“It is extremely difficult to take that left U-turn with such limited space. At times, you can smell the clutch burning while trying to make the turn,” he says. With the exit surface slightly raised, the driver has to keep the clutch engaged more than usual to prevent the vehicle from stalling.

‘Tweak the traffic regulation’

Commuters and crew members point out the issue is not only one of road geometry but also of traffic management. They want CMRL officials to deploy personnel to regulate the movement of buses, cabs and private vehicles at the exit point.

“They should ensure that vehicles line up to the extreme right before turning left. This will make the turn easier for buses,” a crew member says.

With multiple junctions and signals immediately after merging into GST Road, passengers say the added difficulty at the exit unnecessarily lengthens travel time on what is otherwise a short, five-kilometre stretch.

Many hope that Metro Rail and transport authorities will coordinate to ease the turning space and streamline vehicle flow, and ultimately address this problem.