Tamil Nadu is gearing up for greatly improved train travel, with railway authorities recently announcing many new train stops and a huge funding push for major projects across the state. This immediate action aims to make daily commutes and long-distance journeys much smoother and more connected for millions of people. These changes will link previously underserved areas, driving new opportunities and making essential travel simpler for communities right now. The move marks a significant step in the ongoing effort to modernize and expand the region’s vital train network.
Big Money for Train Work
Tamil Nadu is set to see big changes in its train travel with a large amount of money set aside for new projects. The money given for train projects in Tamil Nadu for the year 2025-26 is 6,626 crore rupees. This is a small rise from the 6,320 crore rupees given last year, in 2024-25.
This money will be used to make train lines longer, add more tracks, make train stations better, do safety work. other needed maintenance tasks. The Union Minister of State for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has said that the money given for 2024-25 was seven times more than the average money given between 2009 and 2014, which was 879 crore rupees. He also said that train projects are now planned in a careful way. This means projects are only started if surveys show they are useful and if there are enough people or goods to use the train line. This way of working is done all year.
Some train leaders say this increase in money shows real forward steps. This comes after leaders from Tamil Nadu and people who work to make things better for train travel asked for more money. The state’s Chief Minister, M K Stalin, had also asked the Railway Minister to give enough money for the train projects in Tamil Nadu.
New Train Routes and More Tracks
Money has been set aside to build new train lines and add more tracks to existing ones. A sum of 612. 8 crore rupees has been put aside for eight new train line projects in the 2025-26 period. This is more than the 339 crore rupees from the year before.
One vital new train line is the Nagari-Tindivanam line. This project has received 347 crore rupees. Almost all the land needed for this line, 95 percent of it, has already been bought. This line is 184. 45 kilometers long and is expected to be finished in the next three years. It will connect country and city-like areas across Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai. Villupuram areas in Tamil Nadu. also the Chittoor area in Andhra Pradesh.
Other new train line projects include:
- The Madurai-Thoothukudi line, which goes through Aruppukottai, has been given 55. 2 crore rupees. This project is 143 kilometers long. Some people who work for better travel say that this money might not be enough to buy all the land needed for this long line.
- The Erode-Palani new train line, which has been talked about for almost 20 years but not built, has now received 50 crore rupees.
- The Chennai-Cuddalore new train line, which goes through Mahabalipuram, has been given 52. 1 crore rupees.
- A new train line from North Chennai to Puttur, which is from Athipattu to Puttur, has received 42. 7 crore rupees. This line will help move goods from Athipattu to Tindivanam, passing through Nagari, Ranipet. Arani. will make it easier to reach ports in Puducherry and Cuddalore.
Work is also being done to add more tracks to current lines, which helps more trains run at the same time. The Katpadi-Villupuram section, which is 160 kilometers long, has received 200 crore rupees. The Salem-Karur-Dindigul line, also 160 kilometers. the Erode-Karur line, 65 kilometers, have each received 100 crore rupees. that last year, each of these projects was given only 1,000 rupees.
In the southern parts of Tamil Nadu, work is happening to add more tracks to the Aralvaymozhi–Nagercoil Junction stretch (12. 87 kilometers) and the Tirunelveli–Melapalayam stretch (3. 6 kilometers). This work costs 283 crore rupees and is expected to make travel faster on big southern routes like Chennai–Kanniyakumari. Another project is the doubling of the 21-kilometer Nagercoil Town–Kanniyakumari section, which costs 650 crore rupees. This is part of a larger plan to add more tracks between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanniyakumari.
A project to add a third and fourth line on the 47-kilometer stretch between Athipattu and Gummidipoondi has been approved with 374. 30 crore rupees. This will help move more goods and also benefit people who travel daily on local trains and express trains.
Also, the 90-kilometer Madurai–Bodinayakkanur line is being made ready for electric trains at a cost of 99 crore rupees. This will help the environment and make travel easier for people, farmers. students in the Madurai and Theni areas.
Stations Getting Better
A big effort is underway to make train stations in Tamil Nadu much better. Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 77 train stations across the state are being made new and better. The total estimated cost for this work is 2,948 crore rupees.
One major station getting a lot of attention is Chennai Egmore, for which 800 crore rupees has been set aside to make it better. Other crucial stations that are also getting this special work done include Madurai, Rameswaram, Kanyakumari, Katpadi. Salem.
In Tiruchy, the Fort train station is getting a series of improvements. This includes making platforms longer and putting up shelters on platforms, which are already done. New decorative arches will be put at the entrance. a new overhead water tank that can hold 1 lakh liters of water will be built to increase the water storage for the station and nearby railway homes and offices. This station is one of the oldest and busiest in its area.
In Chennai, the fourth train line between Chennai Beach and Egmore, which is 4. 3 kilometers long, is also being worked on at a cost of 150 crore rupees. This line is expected to be completed very soon and will help local train services and reduce crowding.
More Stops for Trains
In good news for many train travelers, 38 new stops have been added for 21 trains in Tamil Nadu. These new stops began from August 18. This was announced by Union Minister L Murugan, who said that he had received many requests from people asking for express trains, superfast trains. regular passenger trains to stop at more stations in different parts of the state. He brought these requests to the attention of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who then gave the orders for the extra stops.
Some of the new stops include:
- Ambur for the Chennai Central-Shivamogha Weekly Superfast Express.
- Gudiyatham and Vaniyambadi for two minutes each, for the Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express.
- Irugur and Singanallur for the Coimbatore-Nagercoil Express. This train will also stop at Melappalayam when going in the other direction.
- Valliyur for the Puducherry-Kanniyakumari Express.
It is vital to know that the Tiruchirappalli–Palakkad and Coimbatore–Nagercoil trains will start stopping again at Irugur and Singanallur stations in Coimbatore. These stops were taken away during the time of the pandemic, causing problems for many people who travel daily. Local groups and daily travelers had asked many times for these stops to be brought back. this step is expected to make travel much easier for many people in the area.
Other places getting new train stops for express services include Valathoor, Melpatti, Walajah Road, Wellington, Tutimelur Halt, Kodaikanal Road, Kolathur, Vadipatti, Arni Road, Papanasam, Tiruchchirappalli Fort, Aralvaymozhi. Nanguneri. These stops will help various trains like Howrah–Kanniyakumari, Tirupati–Rameswaram, Madurai–Punalur, Mayiladuthurai–Sengottai, Erode–Sengottai, Mannargudi–Tirupati. Mysuru–Cuddalore trains.
People’s Views
Many people involved in train travel have shared their thoughts on these changes. Train officials have said that the increase in money for these projects shows real good steps forward. They have mentioned that land buying for the Tindivanam–Nagari corridor is almost done. final checks for the Sriperumbudur–Guduvanchery stretch are in their last stages. They also said that building work will start as soon as all needed approvals are given.
But, some people who work for better travel, like activist Dayanand Krishnan, have welcomed the bigger money given by the railways. At the same time, activists like R Srinivasan and S Kamal have raised questions about whether the money given is truly enough for what is needed, especially for buying land. For example, for the Madurai–Tuticorin project, some say the money given is not enough just for buying land in Tuticorin. Similar concerns have been raised for the Tindivanam–Tiruvannamalai project, where the money set aside for land buying is seen as too little for the actual needs. These voices show that while the increase in money is a good sign, some people feel more funds will be needed in the coming years to fully complete these big projects.
The plan to start Vande Metro services in Chennai on high-demand routes like Chennai-Jolarpet, Chennai-Gudur. Chennai-Villupuram is also being looked at. Officials are checking if these plans are workable. the routes will be decided once the special train sets are ready.
