Chennai: The 15-year delay in the Radhanagar subway project is now stalled over a land allocation dispute between the railways and the state highways department.
Despite a claim under RTI that 80% of the work is complete and the project has a mid-2025 deadline, no visible progress has been made at the site for weeks. Southern Railway has yet to approve a 3m-wide and 30m-long land parcel needed to construct a traffic island for two-way vehicle movement.
Originally planned in 2009-10 as a pedestrian subway, the project was later modified into a limited-use vehicular underpass for two-wheelers and light motor vehicles. For more than a decade, there was no significant development until a contract was awarded in 2021, when it wasdecided to permit only one-way traffic from Radha Nagar to GST Road. The project cost surged from 4.5 crore in 2009 to 24 crore due to design modifications over the years.
A fresh proposal, driven by the local MLA and residents, now seeks another design change to accommodate two-way traffic by widening the ascending ramp portions. This modification requires additional land, but Southern Railway’s plan to upgrade Chromepet station under the Amrit scheme has complicated land availability. At a recent Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) review meeting, Southern Railway announced plans to install escalators and staircases near the disputed land.
“Southern Railway has been very lethargic in this project. Why would any agency need 12 years to build a subway,” asked David Manohar, a resident-activist from Pallavaram. Supporting him, V Santhanam, another resident-activist from Chromepet, said, “The lack of planning from the outset has forced repeated redesigns, with key factors such as traffic movement, space constraints, and coordination with Railways overlooked. With both agencies yet to reach a resolution, the completion of the Radhanagar subway remains uncertain, extending an already prolonged wait for commuters.”
Without the subway, motorists face delays every time a train passes, leading to persistent congestion. Residents, office-goers, and students from Radha Nagar, Nemilichery, Bharathipuram, and Jameen Royapettah struggle with daily disruptions.