Parliament Question: ROBs/RUBs in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4535 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025 ROBs/RUBs IN TAMIL NADU

4535. SHRI THARANIVENTHAN M S:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges

(RUBs) sanctioned, under construction and completed in Tamil Nadu during the last five years;

(b) the funding pattern adopted for these projects including cost- sharing with State Government and local bodies;

(c) whether delay has been reported in execution of ROBs and RUBs due to land acquisition, design approvals/coordination issues with State agencies;

(d) if so, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to expedite pending ROB/RUB works and ensure safe and congestion-free rail-road crossings especially in high-traffic zones; and

(e) the list of level crossings in Tamil Nadu identified for elimination via ROBs/RUBs, district-wise? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (e) : As on 01.04.2025, 235 Road Over Bridges/ Road Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) across railways tracks in lieu of Level Crossings (LCs) etc. have been sanctioned including 104 Nos.

ROBs/RUBs on cost sharing basis in the State of Tamil Nadu, which are at various stages of planning and execution.Further, 82 Nos. ROBs/RUBs out of 235 Nos. 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 22

2. 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 2020-25 (June’25), 144 Nos. ROBs/RUBs have been sanctioned in the State of Tamil Nadu, which are at various stages of planning and execution. This includes 32 Nos. ROBs/RUBs on cost sharing with State Govt./local bodies. During this period total 250 Nos. ROBs/RUBs have been completed in the State of Tamil 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) Railways have taken following measures to expedite the progress of

work: Joint survey with concerned State Govt./Road Owning Authority is done before finalizing the General Arrangement Drawing

(GAD) to ensure smooth execution.  Periodic meetings of Railway & State Government officials are done to resolve various issues related to ROB/RUB works.  Standardization of superstructure drawings for various combinations of span, skewness and width of road on Railway portion has been done to avoid delays during the design approval. This has been issued in the form of compendium, which can be directly adopted for Road Over Bridge across Railway lines for expeditious planning.

Completion & commissioning of ROB/RUB works depends on

following factors:-  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.

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