CHENNAI: Gummudipoondi Railway Passengers Welfare Association on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior railway officials, requesting the commencement of work on the third and fourth railway lines from Attipattu to Gummidipoondi.
The 22.52-km-long third and fourth railway lines, to be laid at a cost of Rs 365.42 crore, were sanctioned by the railways recently.
In his letter, S Suresh Babu, president of the association, said that approximately eight months after the Railway Board’s approval, Southern Railway opened a tender, which closed on May 12, 2026. Nearly five months have passed, but work has not yet started, he said.
“Our people are suffering greatly due to the existing railway congestion and prolonged travel time. Every day, passengers are compelled to spend nearly two hours travelling just 45 km from Gummidipoondi to Chennai Central. The doubling project has been a long-pending demand of thousands of North Chennai residents. Once implemented, the travel time from Chennai Central to Gummidipoondi is expected to go down by approximately 45 minutes,” Suresh Babu said.
He added that the third and fourth lines from Korukkupet to Attipattu are mostly used for goods trains rather than suburban trains, adding that if they are used for sub-urban trains, travel time will be reduced. As of now, he said, suburban trains halt on loop lines at Ponneri, Minjur and Kavaraipettai stations after Attipattu to prioritise express trains. If the third and fourth lines are laid, there will be two dedicated lines for express and suburban trains, he said.