**Summary:**
As of April 1, 2025, 235 Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) have been sanctioned under Southern Railway in Tamil Nadu to replace level crossings (LCs). These projects are in various stages of planning and execution. As of June 2025, 9 ROBs/RUBs have been constructed in the current financial year (2025-26).
However, work on 82 ROBs/RUBs is currently held up due to issues related to the State Government, specifically: delays in land acquisition (22 ROBs/RUBs), lack of consent for closure of LCs (26 ROBs/RUBs), finalization of alignment (23 ROBs/RUBs), and law and order/public protest issues (11 ROBs/RUBs).
The completion and commissioning of ROB/RUB projects are subject to factors including State Government cooperation regarding LC closures, alignment approvals, General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) approvals, land acquisition, encroachment removal, utility shifting, statutory clearances, law and order, and working season durations.
Between 2014 and June 2025, 13,426 ROBs/RUBs were constructed across Indian Railways, including 747 in Tamil Nadu, compared to 4,148 constructed between 2004 and 2014. The sanctioning and execution of ROB/RUB projects is a continuous process, prioritized based on impacts to safety, train operations, and road users.
Key Entities Referenced
Southern Railway: A zone of the Indian Railways, playing a key role in the construction of ROBs and RUPs.
Tamil Nadu: A state in India where ROBs and RUPs are being constructed under Southern Railway.
Rail Over Bridges (ROBs): Bridges constructed over railway tracks to facilitate road traffic.
Rail Under Passes (RUPs): Underpasses constructed under railway tracks to facilitate road traffic.
Ashwini Vaishnaw: Minister of Railways, Information Broadcasting and Electronics Information Technology.
Land Acquisition: The process of acquiring land for the construction of railway infrastructure projects, often a cause of delay.
General Arrangement Drawing (GAD): A drawing that shows the overall layout of a project, required for approval before construction can begin.
Indian Railways: The national railway system of India, responsible for the construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2862
TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025
ROBs AND RUPs UNDER SOUTHERN RAILWAY IN TAMIL NADU
2862. DR. T SUMATHY ALIAS THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of Rail Over Bridges (ROBs) and Rail Under Passes
(RUPs) sanctioned under Southern Railway in Tamil Nadu
including the location, cost and current status of each project;
(b) the timeline for completion of the sanctioned ROBs and RUPs
and the measures taken/being taken by the Government to
ensure timely completion; and
(c) whether any new ROBs and RUPs are proposed to be
sanctioned in Tamil Nadu in the near future, if so, the details
thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c) : As on 01.04.2025, 235 Road Over Bridges/ Road Under
Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) across railways tracks in lieu of LCs etc. have
been sanctioned in the State of Tamil Nadu which are at various
stages of planning and execution. Out of these, work on 82 nos.
RoBs/RUBs are held up on account of the State Govt. The details
are as under:
S.No. Reason ROBs/RUBs
(in No.)
1. Delay in Land Acquisition by State Govt 222. Consent for Closure of LC by State Govt 26
3. Finalization of Alignment by State Govt 23
4. Law & order/ Public Protest etc. 11
During current financial year 2025-26 (up to June’25), 9 Nos. of
ROBs/RUBs have been constructed in the State of Tami Nadu.
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 (June’25) is as under:
Period ROBs/ RUBs constructed
2004-14 4,148 Nos.
2014-25 (June’25) 13,426 Nos. (including 747 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.
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