Chennai: In the 10 new railway line projects being implemented in Tamil Nadu, it has been revealed through information obtained under RTI that only one rupee each has been allocated for 4 projects.
In addition, it has also been revealed that only limited funding has been provided for double-line projects. The railway administration has been accusing Tamil Nadu of delaying land acquisition for railway projects. However, the information obtained under the Right to Information Act has revealed that adequate funds have not been allocated for new railway line projects either.
Dayanand Krishnan, a social activist from Chennai, has sought under the Right to Information Act the details of the funds allocated in the Union Budget for projects being carried out in the Southern Railway.
Accordingly, for 10 new railway line projects in Tamil Nadu covering a total distance of 870.78 km, only Rs. 497.57 crore has been allocated in the current budget. This is 19.48 percent lower than the previous budget.
It has been found that funding has been reduced for several new railway line projects. It has also been found that only one rupee each has been allocated to the new line projects of Tindivanam–Gingee–Tiruvannamalai (70 km), Athipattu–Puthur (88.30 km), Erode–Palani (91.05 km), and Chennai–Mamallapuram–Cuddalore (179.28 km).
Of the Rs. 497.57 crore allocated for new railway lines, just two projects have received 87.4 percent of the total funding. In Tamil Nadu, double-line and additional-line projects have faced a very severe funding shortfall.
The total estimate for 14 doubling and additional line projects (658.34 km) is Rs. 8,173.35 crore. However, only Rs. 324.10 crore has been allocated in the 2026-27 financial year.
Funding for the three major projects — Katpadi-Villupuram, Salem-Karur-Dindigul, and Erode-Karur — has been reduced from Rs. 400.45 crore to Rs. 12 crore. Since the funding for the project has been cut, new doubling works have been delayed.
Regarding this, social activist Dayanand Krishnan said, "We have lost 20 years in resolving the issues in the work of laying railway tracks in Tamil Nadu. There should be no more delay. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should take appropriate action to improve Tamil Nadu's railway infrastructure," he said.
