₹50 crore allocated this fiscal for proposed Chennai-Cuddalore rail line via Puducherry: Railways Minister

The Union government has sanctioned a sum of ₹50 crore this financial year for the proposed 179.28 km new rail line, connecting Chennai and Cuddalore via Mamallapuram, Marakkanam and Puducherry.

The Union government has sanctioned a sum of ₹50 crore this financial year for the proposed 179.28 km new rail line, connecting Chennai and Cuddalore via Mamallapuram, Marakkanam and Puducherry.

Replying to a question by MP V. Vaithilingam, in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said the proposed railway project would cost around ₹2,670 crore. An outlay of ₹50 crore has been set aside for 2023-24.

The Puducherry government had requested a change in alignment towards the northern and southern sides of the existing Villupuram-Puducherry rail line and sought double line tracks between Puducherry and Cuddalore, the Minister said. As the revision of alignment was based on the request of the Union Territory, the Centre had asked the Puducherry government to bear the cost. However, the UT government expressed its inability to incur the additional expenditure for realignment and doubling of the track. The Centre has now decided to conduct the Final Location Survey as per the revised alignment, the Union Minister said.

To another question, the Minister said the survey for a new rail line between Tindivanam and Puducherry was conducted in 2015-16. The project could not be taken forward due to low traffic projection, he said.

The Minister also said 23 projects (9 new lines, 3 gauge conversion and 11 doubling) covering a total length of 2,848 km at a cost of ₹35, 580 crore falling fully/partly in Tamil Nadu are under different stages of planning, approval and execution. Till March this year, 839 km of work has been completed. A sum of ₹ 9,078 crore has been incurred by the Ministry so far, he added.