Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Railways addresses funding and progress of railway projects in Tamil Nadu as of July 23, 2025. As of April 1, 2025, 15 projects are sanctioned with an expenditure of ₹7,591 Crore incurred up to March 2025. Project delays are attributed to land acquisition, requiring support from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Key Points / Main Content:
Project Sanctioning and Execution:
* Railway projects are sanctioned and executed zone-wise, based on remunerativeness, traffic projections, connectivity, congestion augmentation, state government demands, and socio-economic considerations.
* Tamil Nadu projects fall under Southern Railway (SR), South Central Railway (SCR), and South Western Railway (SWR) zones.
Project Status in Tamil Nadu (as of April 1, 2025):
* 15 sanctioned projects (9 New Line, 3 Gauge Conversion, 3 Doubling) with a total length of 1,700 km and a cost of ₹22,808 Crore.
* 665 km length commissioned, with an expenditure of ₹7,591 Crore incurred up to March 2025.
* ₹6,626 crore budget allocation for 2025-26, which is more than 7.5 times the 2009-14 yearly average of ₹879 crore.
Land Acquisition:
* Total land required: 4315 Ha; Land acquired: 1038 Ha (24%); Balance land to be acquired: 3277 Ha (76%).
* Project delays are due to land acquisition issues.
* Land acquisition is the responsibility of the State Government, who decides the compensation amount.
* Lists specific projects delayed due to land acquisition, including Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai new line, Attiputtu-Puttur New Line, Morappur-Dharmapuri, Mannargudi-Pattukkottai and Thanjavur-Pattukottai.
Factors Affecting Project Completion:
* Quick land acquisition, forest clearances, shifting utilities, statutory clearances, geological conditions, law and order, and working months affect project completion time and cost.
Impact Analysis:
Government of Tamil Nadu:
* Impact: Success of railway projects depends on the State Government's support in land acquisition.
* Action Required: Expedite land acquisition processes for pending railway projects.
Ministry of Railways:
* Impact: Responsible for project sanctioning, execution, and funding.
* Action Required: Continue to pursue project completion, address land acquisition delays with the Government of Tamil Nadu and manage project execution effectively.
Zonal Railways (SR, SCR, SWR):
* Impact: Responsible for executing projects within their respective zones.
* Action Required: Execute projects efficiently, address logistical challenges, and coordinate with the State Government for land acquisition.
Key Entities Referenced
Tamil Nadu: A state in southern India where railway projects are facing land acquisition delays.
Ministry of Railways: The Indian government ministry responsible for railway infrastructure and projects.
Ashwini Vaishnaw: The Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology.
Southern Railway SR: A zonal railway within Indian Railways, covering projects in Tamil Nadu.
South Central Railway SCR: A zonal railway within Indian Railways, covering projects in Tamil Nadu.
South Western Railway SWR: A zonal railway within Indian Railways, covering projects in Tamil Nadu.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI): A governmental organization in India responsible for developing and maintaining national highways. It is mentioned in the context of land acquisition prices.
Tindivanam Tiruvannamalai new line: A railway project in Tamil Nadu delayed due to land acquisition issues, with a specific land requirement mentioned.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 571
TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.07.2025
FUNDING FOR LAND ACQUISITION FOR RAILWAY PROJECTS
571. DR. T SUMATHY ALIAS THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government provides adequate funds for the land
acquisition process to expedite long pending railway projects in
Tamil Nadu, if so, the details thereof;
(b) the details of the average price fixed by the Government for
acquiring one acre of land in urban and rural areas as compared
to the price provided by NHAI and other Government
departments;
(c) whether the Government has provided adequate funds for the
pending and ongoing railway projects in Tamil Nadu, if so, the
details thereof;
(d) whether the Government has taken serious steps to ensure
timely completion of railway projects in Tamil Nadu pending
more than five years, if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the details of the measures taken by the Government to
accelerate the completion of pending railway projects?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (e): Railway projects are surveyed/ sanctioned/executed Zonal
Railway wise and not State-wise/UT wise/District wise as the Railway
…2/--2-
projects may span across State/UT/District boundaries. Railway
projects are sanctioned on the basis of remunerativeness, traffic
projections, last mile connectivity, missing links and alternate routes,
augmentation of congested/saturated lines, demands raised by State
Governments, Central Ministries, Members of Parliament, other public
representatives, Railway’s own operational requirement, socio-
economic considerations etc. depending upon throwforward of
ongoing projects and overall availability of funds.
Railway projects in Tamil Nadu are covered by Southern Railway (SR),
South Central Railway (SCR) and South Western Railway (SWR) zone of
Indian Railways. Zonal Railway wise details of Railway projects are
made available in public domain on Indian Railway’s website.
As on 01.04.2025, 15 projects (9 New Line, 03 Gauge Conversion and
03 Doubling) of total length 1,700 Km, costing ₹22,808 Crore, falling
fully/partly in the State of Tamil Nadu, are sanctioned, out of which
665 Km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹7,591
Crore has been incurred upto March’ 2025. The summary is as
under:-
Plan Head No. of Total Length Expenditure
projects Length Commissioned upto March
(in Km) (in Km) 2025
(₹in Cr.)
New Line 9 812 24 1,337
Gauge Conversion 3 748 604 3,471
Doubling 3 140 37 2,783
/Multitracking
Total 15 1700 665 7,591
…3/--3-
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)
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 Tamil Nadu 4315 Ha
Land Acquired 1038 Ha (24%)
Balance Land to be acquired 3277 Ha (76%)
Support of the Government of Tamil Nadu is needed to expedite the
land acquisition. Details of some major projects which are delayed due
to land acquisition are as under:-
SN Name of the project Total Land Balance
land acquired Land to be
required (in Ha) acquired
(in Ha) (in Ha)
1. Tindivanam– 273 33 240
Tiruvannamalai new line
(71 km)
2. Attiputtu – Puttur New Line 189 0 189
(88 km)
3. Morappur – Dharmapuri 93 42 51
(36 km)
4. Mannargudi-Pattukkottai 196 0 196
(41 km)
5. Thanjavur-Pattukottai 152 0 152
(52 km)
…4/--4-
Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however
success depends upon the support of Government of Tamil Nadu.
Land is acquired for Railway Projects through State Government who
decide the compensation amount to be paid.
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors like quick
land acquisition by State Government, forest clearance by officials of
forest department, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances
from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of
area, law and order situation in the area of project/s 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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