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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3027
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026
CHENGALPATTU-MAMALLAPURAM RAILWAY PROJECT
3027. SHRI VE VAITHILINGAM:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Union Government has consulted with the Governments of
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry regarding alignment requirements, land
acquisition assistance and cost-sharing aspects of the Chengalpattu–
Mamallapuram railway project;
(b) if so, the details of coordination meetings, institutional mechanisms and
follow-up actions initiated by the Government; and
(c) the details of the collaborative steps proposed to be taken by the
Government to ensure smooth execution of this project?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c): Chengalpattu is an existing station on Chennai-Villupuram route.
Mamallapuram is about 27 km away from Chengalpattu Jn. which serves as
the transportation hub for the town & nearby region.
A survey of Chengalpattu - Mamallapuram New line was carried out in
2014. According to the survey the project has low traffic projections.
The sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders
including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI
Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous
and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.
...2/-
§-2-
Tamil Nadu:
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly. Budget
allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully/partly in
the State of Tamil Nadu is as under:
Period Outlay
2009-14 ₹879 crore/year
2025-26 ₹ 6,626 crore (more than 7.5 times)
As on 01.04.2025, 15 projects (09 new line, 03 gauge conversion and 03
doubling) of 1,700 km length, costing ₹22,808 Crore, falling fully/partly in
the State of Tamil Nadu, are sanctioned. The summary is as under:-
Category No. of Total Length Expenditure
sanctione Length Commissioned upto Mar’ 25
d (in km) upto Mar’25 (₹ in Cr.)
projects (in km)
New Line 9 812 24 1,337
Gauge Conversion 3 748 604 3,471
Doubling 3 140 37 2,783
/Multitracking
Total 15 1,700 665 7,591
Zonal Railway wise details of Railway projects are made available in public
domain on Indian Railway’s website.
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in
Tamil Nadu are as under :
Cost
S.N. Project
(₹in Crores)
1 Dindigul-Palani-Pollachi gauge conversion (121 km) 610
...3/--3-
2 Pollachi-Palghat gauge conversion (56 km) 350
3 Pollachi-Podhanur gauge conversion (40 km) 400
4 Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion
1,122
(357 km)
5 Mayiladuturai-Thiruvarur-Karaikkudi gauge
1,338
conversion (187 km)
6 Madurai-Bodiyakannur gauge conversion (90 km) 593
7 Chengalpattu-Villupuram doubling (102 km) 670
8 Tiruvallur-Arakkonam 4th line (27 km) 83
9 Chennai Central-Basin Bridge doubling (2 km) 31
10 Thanjavur-Ponmalai doubling (48 km) 370
11 Villupuram-Dindigul doubling (273 km) 2,000
12 Chennai Beach-Korukkupet 3rd line (5 km) 168
13 Chennai Beach-Attipattu 4th line (22 km) 293
14 Omalur-Metturdam Patch doubling (29 km) 327
15 Chengalpattu - Villupuram and Tambaram-
1,122
Chengalpattu - 3rd line (133 km)
16 Salem-Magnesite Junction-Omalur doubling (11 km) 115
17 Madurai- Maniyachi-Tuticorin doubling (160 km) 1,891
18 Maniyachi-Nagercoil doubling (102 km) 1,752
19 Chennai Beach-Chennai Egmore doubling (4 km) 272
20 Karaikal-Peralam new line (23 km) 373
21 Northern End Port connectivity to Karaikal Port 18
(1 km)
Some of the projects falling fully/partly in the State of Tamil Nadu which
have been taken up are as under :
Cost
S.N Project
(₹ in Crores)
1 Tindivanam-Nagari new line (184 km) 3,631
2 Morappur-Dharmapuri new line (36 km) 359
...4/--4-
3 Nagapattinam - Tiruturaipundi new line 7 42
(43 km)
4 Trivandrum-Kanyakumari doubling (87 km) 3,785
5 Arakkonam yard 3rd & 4th line (6 km) 98
6 Perambur - Ambattur 5th & 6th lines (6 Km) 178
7 Irugur-Podanur doubling (11 Km) 277
8 Tambaram-Chengalpattu 4th Line (30 km) 757
9 Attipattu-Gummidipundi 3rd & 4th line (23 km) 375
10 Tirupati-Pakala-Katpadi doubling (105 km) 1332
11 Tindivanam-Gingee-Tiruvannamalai New Line 1400
(71 Km)
12 Atipattu – Puttur New Line (88 Km) 1700
13 Chennai – Cuddulore via Mahabalipuram New 2670
Line (179 Km)
In last three years i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and current financial year
2025-26, 29 surveys (06 new line and 23 doubling) covering a total length of
2,478 km has been sanctioned falling fully/partly in the State of Tamil Nadu.
Execution of important infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the
State of Tamil Nadu are held up due to delay in land acquisition. Status of
land acquisition in Tamil Nadu is as under:
Total Land required for Projects in 4,326 ha
Tamil Nadu
Land Acquired 1,052 ha (24%)
Balance Land to be acquired 3,274 ha (76%)
Support of the Government of Tamil Nadu is needed to expedite the land
acquisition.
...5/--5-
Details of some major projects which are delayed due to land acquisition
are as under:-
SN Name of the project Total land Land Balance
required acquired Land to be
(in ha) (in ha) acquired
(in ha)
1. Tindivanam - Tiruvannamalai 276 33 243
new line (71 km)
2. Attiputtu - Puttur new line 1 8 9 0 189
(88 km)
3. Morappur - Dharmapuri new 92 45 47
line (36 km)
4. Mannargudi - Pattukkottai 196 0 196
new line (41 km)
5. Thanjavur - Pattukottai new 152 0 152
line (52 km)
Further, Rameshwaram – Dhanushkodi new line (18 km) was sanctioned at
a cost of ₹734 Cr. The Foundation Stone of the project was laid on
01.03.2019. However, the project could not be started because the land
acquisition has not been undertaken by the State Govt. of Tamil Nadu.
Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success
depends upon the support of Government of Tamil Nadu.
Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors
which include the following:
Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the
proposed route
...6/--6-
First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
Connection of missing links and providing additional route
Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public
representatives
Railway’s own operational requirements
Socio-economic considerations
Overall availability of funds
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include
the following:
Land acquisition by State Government
Forest clearance
Shifting of infringing utilities
Statutory clearances from various authorities
Geological and topographical conditions of area
Law and order situation in the area of project site
Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.
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