CHENNAI: The construction wing of Southern Railway has invited fresh tenders for the construction of the third and fourth railway lines along the 23-km Athipattu-Gummidipundi section of the North Eastern suburban network, raising the project cost by Rs 70.56 crore. The initial tender, floated in March this year for Rs 285.6 crore, has been revised to Rs 356.16 crore after the contract could not be finalised due to the low project cost, official documents revealed.
The project involves laying the third and fourth lines, upgrading station infrastructure, and carrying out general electrical and overhead electrification works, including utility shifting. The works are planned to be completed within 24 months of awarding the contract.
The project is crucial for reducing the travel time for suburban trains on the Chennai-Gummidipundi section, which operates 84 suburban services a day and caters to around 90,000 passengers daily. While the official travel time prescribed by the railways is 85 minutes, trains take nearly 115-120 minutes to cover the 47.5-km stretch. In comparison, suburban trains cover a similar distance of around 47 km between Chennai and Kadambattur in about 70-75 minutes.
The Chennai-Athipattu-Gummidipundi-Gudur section is among the busiest railway routes in the country, handling suburban, express services and freight trains throughout the day. Severe track congestion often forces trains to wait for green signals in both directions.
The third and fourth lines were laid in phases between 2012 and 2023 on a 21-km stretch between Chennai Central and Athipattu. However, track utilisation between Athipattu and Gummidipundi has exceeded 130%, preventing the introduction of additional services and limiting efforts to reduce suburban train halts to facilitate the passage of express trains.
Meanwhile, residents said the track capacity had not been augmented in line with population growth in northern Chennai for nearly three decades. S Suresh Babu, president of the Gummidipundi Rail Passengers Welfare Association, said suburban trains were frequently stopped during peak hours to allow express and freight trains to pass because of limited track capacity. He said, “The Gummidipundi section requires better train connectivity throughout the day, as a large number of people from north Chennai travel to the core city for jobs and education.”
When contacted, a railway official said that work would begin within three to four months after the tender process is completed.