Lok Sabha Question No. 603 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-03
Subject: Chennai-Mahabalipuram-Cuddalore Railway Line
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. M K Vishnu Prasad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 603

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.12.2025

## CHENNAI-MAHABALIPURAM-CUDDALORE RAILWAY LINE

## 603. DR. M K VISHNU PRASAD:

Will the Minister of  RAILWAYS  be pleased to state:

- (a) the present status of new railway line from Chennai to Cuddalore via Mahabalipuram;
- (b) the details of fund allotted and survey taken for the said project;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  this  Chennai-Cuddalore new railway line via Mahabalipuram will be a profitable line as it will be connecting the IT Hub of Chennai with the Southern Tamil Nadu and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) whether the  said  proposal  will  be  taken  up  in  the  coming  year and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (d):    Chennai  -  Cuddalore  via  Mamallapuram,  MaraKanam, Puducherry (179 Km) new line project was included in Budget 2008-09. Government  of  Puducherry  had  requested  for  change  in  alignment towards  Northern   and   Southern  side   of  Villupuram  -  Puducherry

existing  line  as  well  as  doubling  of  track  between  Puducherry  and Cuddalore.  State  Government  was  requested  to  bear  additional  Cost due to above revision in alignment and doubling of tracks. However, the State Govt. has shown their inability to bear additional cost of the project.

## 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 (9 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,  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:-

| Category                |   No. of sanctioned projects | Total Length (in Km)   |   Length Commissioned upto Mar'25 (in Km) | Expenditure upto Mar' 25 (₹ in Cr.)   |
|-------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 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 :

|   S. N. | Project                                                                | Cost (₹ 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 Km) | 1,122                |
|      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 :

|   S.N | Project                                      | Cost (₹ 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                   |

In last three years i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and current financial year  2025-26,  28  surveys  (05  New  Line  and  23  Doubling)  covering  a total length of 2,493 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 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:-

|   SN | Name of the project                        |   Total land required (in Ha) |   Land acquired (in Ha) |   Balance Land to be acquired (in Ha) |
|------|--------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------|
|    1 | Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai new line (71 Km) |                           276 |                      33 |                                   243 |
|    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.

Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors which include the following:

-  Anticipated  traffic  projections  and  remunerativeness  of  the proposed route

-  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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