HYDERABAD: Delay in acquiring required land and pending financial contributions from the state government are impacting railway infrastructure expansion in Telangana. According to the Ministry of Railways, of the total 2,343 hectares of land required, only 1,580 hectares (67%) has been acquired from the state government.
In reply to a question raised by Dharmapuri Arvind in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the Manoharabad-Kothapalli new railway line, which costs around Rs 2,781 crore, for which Telangana must provide land free of cost, has hit a roadblock near Siricilla. “
While 76 km between Manoharabad and Siddipet has already been commissioned, the remaining 31 km up to Siricilla has been pending since January 2025. Forest diversion charges of Rs 10.10 crore for a 2.1 km stretch near Siricilla are yet to be deposited, delaying the section’s commissioning to FY 2025-26,” he said.
Additionally, four projects taken up on a cost-sharing basis worth Rs 4,704 crore, including Telangana’s share of Rs 2,181 crore, are facing funding shortfalls. Against a required contribution of Rs 1,708 crore, Telangana has released only Rs 894 crore so far, leaving a deficit of Rs 814 crore that is adversely impacting construction progress, he added.
20 projects sanctioned, Rs 11,549 crore spent
The Centre said 20 projects, including six new lines and 14 doubling works, covering 2,165 km and costing Rs 35,045 crore have been sanctioned in Telangana. Of this, 547 km have already been commissioned, with Rs 11,549 crore spent up to March 2025. Budget outlays for Telangana-related rail projects stood at Rs 4,418 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 5,336 crore in 2024-25, with a similar Rs 5,337 crore allocation for 2025-26.
New track execution has seen a significant jump with 774 km commissioned between 2014 and 2025, which is eight times more than the 87 km laid during 2009-14.
Railways has identified 40 Telangana stations, including Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Warangal, Kazipet and Nizamabad, for modernisation under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Phase-I works at Begumpet, Karimnagar and Warangal have been completed, while upgrades at Khammam, Basar, Hafizpet and others are in progress.
The SCR zone has an allocation of Rs 863 crore for passenger amenities in 2025-26, out of which Rs 664.27 crore has already been spent up to October 2025.