NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday approved the construction of a 68-kilometre double-line between Arakkonam and Chengalpattu in the Southern Railway zone to boost the Chennai suburban rail network.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the project will play a significant role in easing congestion on the busy Chennai suburban rail network while improving punctuality and operational efficiency.
Highlighting the significance of the project, the Minister further added that the project will strengthen both passenger and freight movement across the corridor, benefiting transportation of key commodities including cement, automobiles, food grains, iron and steel.
Meanwhile, an official statement issued to the media added, “The section forms part of the important Chennai suburban circular rail network connecting Chennai Beach, Tambaram, Chengalpattu and Arakkonam”.
However, no deadline has been specified for the completion of the project.
Sharing details on this project in TN, a railway official added that the existing single-line section is operating at a high level of capacity utilisation, and traffic is expected to increase further in the coming years, necessitating additional infrastructure augmentation.
“The doubling work will help reduce the detention time of trains, improve punctuality and increase the frequency of suburban services," official sources said.
The railway further added that the route serves several major economic and industrial hubs, including Mahindra World City, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam and Irungattukottai, along with important automobile, cement and manufacturing industries.
Expecting rapid growth, the railways further said that the proposed Parandur Airport project near Kancheepuram is located close to the alignment, which would naturally increase the strategic importance of the route.
It may be added that the Ministry of Railways in September 2023 had approved conducting its final location survey, and the draft of the detailed project report was ready by the end of 2025.
The Railways, on March 20, at the 110th meeting of the Network Planning Group (NPG) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), evaluated infrastructure projects.
In the meeting, it was said that the alignment will cover 12 stations, including the junction stations at Chengalpattu and Arakkonam, five crossing stations and five halt stations along the route.