CHENNAI: Tambaram railway station’s revenue has surged by 82% over the past four years, but the station’s redevelopment works remains a non-starter.
According to RTI data obtained by activist Dayanand Krishnan, the station’s annual earnings jumped from Rs 100 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 184 crore in 2024-25 (as of February), showing an increase of Rs 84 crore. Passenger traffic has also risen sharply, with daily footfall growing by 2.5 lakh over the same period. However, the station’s modernisation plan remains in limbo.
Chennai division officials said the conceptual proposal for the redevelopment has been approved by the division and forwarded to the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) for railway board clearance. “The detailed project report is currently in progress,” an official said.
The RTI findings highlight Tambaram’s revenue growth stems from rising passenger numbers. Footfall climbed from 52 crore in 2021-22 to 59.39 crore in 2022-23, reaching 59.48 crore by February 2024-25-an increase of 7.5 crore passengers over four years. Daily passenger handling rose from 14.45 lakh to 16.55 lakh.
Despite the growing crowds, Krishnan pointed out that the station lacks basic amenities such as lifts, escalators, waiting halls, clean toilets, and LED coach indicators. “While railways had announced a Rs 1,000 crore modernisation plan with world-class facilities, progress remains only on paper.
Accessibility issues for the elderly and disabled, pedestrian congestion, and parking problems persist,” he added.
A railway spokesperson said, “Work is under way to construct a new foot-over bridge and extend platforms to accommodate more express trains. Once completed, redevelopment efforts may gain momentum.”