CHENNAI: Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said Rs 7,611 crore has been allocated for Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget 2026-27, marking a 14.9% increase over the Rs 6,626 crore allotted in 2025-26. The funds will be used for ongoing new line projects, track doubling, station redevelopment, and various safety-related works.
Sources said project-wise allocations will be known after the release of the Pink Book.
Addressing the media through video conference from New Delhi, Vaishnaw urged the Tamil Nadu government to extend support for land acquisition to ensure faster completion of railway projects.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters at the Southern Railway headquarters, SR’s Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) Sushil Kumar Maurya said the Railways has decided to revive three new line projects that had been kept in abeyance for the past few years. These include the Chennai-Cuddalore line via Mahabalipuram, the Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai line, and the Sriperumbudur-Guduvanchery line via Irungattukottai, which are now under active consideration for execution.
As part of the first phase of the 58-km Avadi-Guduvanchery-Sriperumbudur new line project, the 32-km stretch between Sriperumbudur, Irungattukottai, and Guduvanchery will be taken up. Maurya added that funding for this phase is expected in the current year’s budget.
Additional General Manager of Southern Railway, Kaushal Kishore, said the ongoing redevelopment work at Egmore station is expected to be completed by December. “Currently, two platforms are being blocked in a phased manner to carry out upgrade works. After May, there may be no need to shift trains from Egmore to Tambaram,” he said.
In response to a question over delay in land acquisition for projects, Kishore said they have submitted requests to the state government for various projects and are awaiting a response.
An official note said Rs 3,147 crore has been earmarked for the modernisation of 77 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat scheme. Redevelopment work has already been completed at 18 stations, including Sholavandan, Tiruvarur, Morappur, Karaikudi and Tiruvannamalai.
The official note added that 1,350 km of tracks have been constructed in Tamil Nadu since 2014, which is close to the entire track length of Sri Lanka.
A total of 2,386 km of railway lines have been electrified since 2014, the statement said.