The Railway Ministry has said land acquisition is delaying several railway projects in Tamil Nadu, as the land made available so far falls well short of the requirement.
As of April, approvals have been issued for works worth ₹27,282 crore to implement eight new lines, three gauge-conversion projects and eight doubling projects in the state. However, progress has been affected by delays in securing land.
According to the ministry, Tamil Nadu’s railway projects require a total of 11,391 acres. The state government has so far provided 2,910 acres, leading to slow movement on project execution.
Jafar Ali, a member of the Southern Railway Users Committee, said the Union Budget has been allocating significant funds for Tamil Nadu’s railway projects every year. He noted that ₹7,611 crore has been earmarked in the current financial year, but land acquisition remains the key bottleneck, with only about 26% of the required land acquired so far.
