Parliament Question: Railway infrastructure in Erode, Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1700 ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026 RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE IN ERODE, TAMIL NADU 1700 SHRI ANTHIYUR P. SELVARASU: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has reviewed passenger demand, freight potential and infrastructure constraints in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, including Erode junction connectivity and Perundurai industrial freight movement; (b) if so, the details of Government track capacity augmentation plans, station redevelopment actions, freight facilitation initiatives and timetable review measures undertaken in Erode district; and (c) the steps proposed to be taken by Government to strengthen rail connectivity, improve passenger amenities and enable faster freight evacuation for industries in Erode district? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (c): The following steps have been taken upfor improving rail infrastructure and connectivity of the rail connectivity in Erode district. Redevelopment of Erode Junction station has been taken up in Amrit Bharat station redevelopment scheme. At Erode Junction station, the works of 2 & 4-wheeler parking, drainage in circulating area, circulating area road and improvement of platform surfacing of platform no. 3&4 have been completed. The works of improvement of platform surfacing at platform 1&2, entrance gate, compound wall, provision of platform shelter, construction of 12 M wide foot over bridge, provisions of lifts and renovation of waiting hall have been taken up. To improve rail network capacity in Erode district, following surveys have been sanctioned and DPR prepared:- S.N. Project Length (km) 1 Erode – Karur doubling 67 2 Arakkonam – Erode – Irugur 3rd and 4th line 407 §After preparation of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stakeholders 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. To improve freight handling capacity, Goods shed improvement works are being carried out at Erode, Perundurai and Chavadipalayam goods sheds. These include improvements to approach road, drainage, lighting arrangements, renovation/new Goods Shed office, Traders/Merchants Room, labourers rest room with wash room facilities, CCTVs, pathway in offside, shelters for unloading area and high mast lights. To improve the safety in train operations and mobility of road users, 7 nos. of RoBs/RUBs have already been constructed in Erode district since 2014. To improve the mobility further, 5 nos. RoBs/ RUBs at cost of Rs 196 cr have been sanctioned in Erode district which are at various stages of planning and execution. As on 01.01.2026, 4,769 Nos. ROBs/RUBs are sanctioned at the cost of ₹ 1,14,298 crore on Indian Railways including 240 Nos, at the cost of ₹ 4,951 crore in the state of Tamil Nadu which are at various stage of planning and execution. Sanctioning and execution of works of Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) is a continuous and ongoing process on Indian Railways. Such works are prioritized and taken up on the basis of its impact on safety and mobility in train operations and impact on road users. Nos, of ROBS/ RUBs constructed on Indian Railways during the period 2004-14 vis a vis 2014-25 upto Dec 25) is as under: Period ROBS/RUBs constructed 2004-14 4,148 Nos. 2014-25 (upto Dec 25) 13,882 Nos. (including 769 Nos, in the State of Tamil Nadu) Completion & commissioning of ROB/RUB works depends on various factors like cooperation of state Governments in giving consent for closure of LC, fixing of approach alignment, approval of general Arrangement Drawing (GAD), land acquisition, removal of encroachment, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, law and order situation in the area of §project/work sites, duration of working season in a year for the particular project/area due to climatic conditions etc. All these factors affect the completion time of the projects/works. To facilitate the passengers of Erode district, Erode junction is served by 184 train services which includes the following train services which have been introduced recently: S.N. Train no. and name w.e.f. 1. 16601/16602 Erode - Jogbani Amrit Bharat Express 15.09.2025 2. 66621/66622 Salem - Erode MEMU 24.11.2025 3. 26651/26652 KSR Bengaluru - Ernakulam Vande Bharat Express (with 11.11.2025 scheduled stoppage at Erode) 4. 20603/20604 New Jalpaiguri - Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express (with 25.01.2026 scheduled stoppage at Erode) 5. 17041/17042 Charlapalli - Thiruvananthapuram North Amrit Bharat 27.01.2026 Express (with scheduled stoppage at Erode) Besides, rationalisation of Timetable and introduction of new train services on any route/section depends on various factors which include: ● Capacity of that section, ● Availability of path, ● Availability of required rolling stock, ● Availability of matching infrastructure for rolling stock, ● Maintenance requirement of railway tracks and other assets 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) To improve rail network capacity, 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 Length Expenditure sanctioned (in km) Commissioned upto Mar’ 25 projects upto Mar’25 (₹ in Cr.) (in km) New Line 9 812 24 1,337 Gauge Conversion 3 748 604 3,471 Doubling /Multitracking 3 140 37 2,783 Total 15 1,700 665 7,591 Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in Tamil Nadu are as under: Cost S.No. Project (₹in Crores) 1 Dindigal-Palani-Pollachi gauge conversion (121 km) 610 2 Pollachi-Palghat gauge conversion (56 km) 350 3 Pollachi-Podhanur gauge conversion (40 km) 400 4 Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion (357 km) 1,122 5 Mayiladuturai-Thiruvarur-Karaikkudi gauge conversion (187 km) 1,338 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-Chengalpattu-3rd line (133 1,122 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 (1 km) 18 §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 3 Nagapattinam-Tiruturaipundi new line (43 km) 742 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 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 2,501 km has been sanctioned falling fully/partly in the State of Tamil Nadu including Erode district. 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 4,326 ha 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. Details of some major projects which are delayed due to land acquisition are as under:- S.No. Name of the project Total land Land Balance Land required acquired to be (in ha) (in ha) acquired (in ha) 1. Tindivanam - Tiruvannamalai new line 2 7 6 33 243 (71 km) 2. Attiputtu-Puttur new line (88 km) 189 0 189 3. Morappur-Dharmapuri new line (36 km) 92 45 47 4. Mannargudi-Pattukkottai new line (41 km) 196 0 196 5. Thanjavur-Pattukottai new line (52 km) 152 0 152 §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. 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. Station redevelopment Ministry of Railways has launched Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for redevelopment of stations with a long-term approach. The scheme involves preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations, which includes:  Improvement of access to station and circulating areas  Integration of station with both sides of city  Improvement of station building  Improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, water booths  Provision of wider foot over bridge/air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic  Provision of lift/escalators/ramp  Improvement /Provision of platform surface and cover over platforms  Provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’  Parking areas, Multimodal integration  Amenities for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjans)  Better Passenger Information Systems § Provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings, landscaping, etc. keeping in view the necessity at each station. The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks etc. as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of city centre at the station in the long term. So far, 1337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme, out of which 77 stations including Erode Junction are located in Tamil Nadu. The names of stations identified for development under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Tamil Nadu are as following: State No. of Name of Stations Stations Tamil 77 Ambasamudram, Ambattur, Arakkonam Jn, Ariyalur, Avadi, Bommidi, Nadu Chengalpattu Jn, Chennai Beach, Chennai Egmore, Chennai Park, Chidambaram, Chinna Salem, Chrompet, Coimbatore Jn, Coimbatore North, Coonoor, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Erode Jn., Guduvancheri, Guindy, Gummidipundi, Hosur, Jolarpettai Jn, Kanniyakumari Terminus, Karaikkudi Jn, Karur Jn, Katpadi Jn, Kovilpatti, Kulitturai, Kumbakonam, Lalgudi, Madurai Jn, Mambalam, Manaparai, Mannargudi, Mayiladuturai Jn, Mettupalayam, Morappur, Nagercoil Jn, Namakkal, Palani, Paramakkudi, Perambur, Podanur Jn., Pollachi Jn, Polur, Pudukkottai, Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central, Rajapalayam, Ramanathapuram, Rameswaram, Salem, Samalpatti, Sholavandan, Srirangam, Srivilliputtur, St.Thomas Mount, Tambaram, Tenkasi, Thanjavur Jn, Thiruvarur Jn., Tiruchendur, Tirunelveli Jn, Tirupadripulyur, Tirupattur, Tiruppur, Tirusulam, Tiruttani, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Tuticorin, Udagamandalam, Vellore Cantt., Villupuram Jn., Virudhunagar, Vriddhachalam Jn. Development works at railway stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme in Tamil Nadu have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 19 stations (Bommidi, Chennai Park, Chidambaram, Chinna Salem, Karaikkudi Jn, Kulitturai, Manaparai, Mannargudi, Morappur, Pollachi Jn, Polur, Samalpatti, Sholavandan, Srirangam, Srivilliputtur, St.Thomas Mount, Thiruvarur Jn., Tiruvannamalai, Vriddhachalam Jn.) in Tamil Nadu have been completed under this scheme. The activities for §development at other stations have also been taken up at good pace and progress of some of stations is as given below:  Chennai Beach station: The works of improvement of platform shelter at platform no. 1 to 8 and improvement of stairs flooring of Foot Over Bridge have been completed. The works of improvement of concourse building, platform surfacing of platform no. 1 to 6, Integrated Passenger Information System and lighting have been taken up  Guindy station: The works of improvement of platform shelter, toilet block, parking at GST road side and 3 nos. lifts have been completed. The works of improvement of station building, platform surface, new booking office, circulating area, Integrated Passenger Information System and lighting have been taken up.  Mayiladuturai Junction station: The works of new toilet block, signages, platform shelter, parking shelter, entrance arch, exit arch, terminal building extension with portico, extended concourse, AC waiting hall, improvements to platform surface and facilities for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) like ramp, low height ticket counter, help booth, toilets, tactile pathway etc. have been completed. The works of improvement of circulating area, landscaping, water cubicles, 6 m Foot Over Bridge, lifts and escalators have been taken up.  Kumbakonam station: The work for soil investigation for main station building and 3 m Foot Over Bridge has been completed. The works for demolition of infringing building, site clearing, extension of platform no. 4 and circulating area have been taken up. Further, development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of stations on Indian Railways is a continuous and ongoing process and works in this regard are undertaken as per requirement, subject to inter-se priority and availability of funds. Development / redevelopment / upgradation / modernisation of a station is carried out based on category of station/condition/traffic handled etc. Development / Upgradation of stations is complex in nature involving safety of passengers & trains and requires various statutory clearances such as fire clearance, heritage, tree cutting, airport clearance etc. The progress also gets affected due to brownfield related challenges such as shifting of utilities (involving water/sewage lines, optical fibre cables, gas pipe lines, power/signal cables, etc.), infringements, operation of trains without hindering passenger movement, speed restrictions due to works carried out in close proximity of tracks and high voltage power lines, etc. and these factors affect the completion time. Development / Upgradation / Modernization of stations including Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is generally funded under Plan Head-53 ‘Customer Amenities’. The details of allocation and expenditure under Plan Head-53 are maintained Zonal Railway-wise and not work-wise or station-wise or state- §wise. Tamil Nadu is covered under the jurisdiction of two railway zones, namely, Southern Railway and South Western Railway. For these zones, an allocation of ₹ 1,697 crore has been made for the financial year 2025-26, out of which an expenditure (up to December 2025) of ₹ 1,360 crore has been incurred so far. In order to further enhance freight movement and to improve efficiency over Indian Railways following measures, among others, have been adopted: -  Ensuring increased availability of rakes/wagons against demand.  Increasing the loadability for carrying additional traffic per wagon. Length of freight trains has also been increased to increase throughput per train.  For increasing network capacity- multitracking on busy sections, ROR, bypass on busy junctions are being taken up.  Use of Information Technology in freight operations to improve monitoring and utilization of assets.  Induction of higher horsepower locomotives.  Induction of higher capacity and high-speed wagons.  Improvement in maintenance practices of wagons and locomotives resulting in increased availability of loco and rolling stock for traffic use.  Improvement in track and signalling to carry higher volume of traffic.  Training staff and officers to adopt the new technology and management practices. Upgradation of tracks The following measures are being taken by Indian Railways to upgrade railway tracks on its network including those situated in Tamil Nadu:-  Modern track structure consisting of 60kg, 90 Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) rails, Wider and heavier Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers (PSC) with elastic fastening, fan-shaped layout turnout on PSC sleepers and H-beam Sleepers on girder bridges are being used while carrying out primary track renewals.  The Thick Web Switches and Weldable CMS Crossings are being used in turnout renewal works.  Supply of 260m long rail panels have been increased to avoid welding of joints, thereby improving safety.  Thick Web Switch Expansion Joints are being used in place of earlier Conventional/Improved SEJs.  Adoption of better welding technology for rails i.e. Flash Butt Welding. § Adoption of mechanized system for track maintenance using high output plain tampers and points & crossing tampers for improved maintainability & reliability of track.  Deployment of state-of-the-art modern machines including Rail Grinding Machines to further improve asset reliability.  Mechanisation of track laying activities through use of track machines like PQRS, TRT, T-28 etc.  Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC) Gates for enhancing safety at LC gates.  Use of advanced Phased Array technology of testing of rail and welds.  Deployment of Integrated Track Monitoring Systems (ITMS) and Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS) for comprehensive health assessment to ascertain optimal maintenance requirements.  Adoption of portable Track Measuring Trolley for continuous recording of track parameters in yards.  Using web enabled Track Management System (TMS) for integration and data analytics of the track inspection records received through various sources to enable precise maintenance inputs. As a result of above measures, there has been significant increase in speed potential of the tracks. The details of speed potential of railway tracks during 2013-14 vis-a-vis 2025-26 are as under: 2013-14 2025-26 (up to Jan’26) Sectional Speed (kmph) Track Km % Track Km % 130 & above 5,036 6.3 23,477 22.2 110 - 130 26,409 33.3 61,711 58.4 < 110 47,897 60.4 20,484 19.4 Total 79,342 100 1,05,672 100 The above include Salem-Erode-Coimbatore section which has been upgraded to 110 kmph and further works to upgrade 130 kmph have been taken up. ***** §