Southern Railway | On track, chugging along Premium

A sum of ₹11,314 crore has been set aside in the 2023-24 Budget for Southern Railway to execute infrastructure projects. Yet, passenger associations point to projects in Tamil Nadu that need more funding. Among them are Mannargudi-Pattukottai and Pattukottai-Thanjavur lines that have been allocated ₹43.50 crore

Southern Railway officials are delighted at the bountiful allocation of ₹11,314 crore in the Budget for 2023-24. Its ‘pink book’ spells out the allocations for laying of new lines, doubling of track, safety measures, improvements to the signal and telecommunication systems and upgrade of passenger amenities at stations.

In 2022-23, the total allocation was ₹7,114 crore. Southern Railway, comprising four divisions in Tamil Nadu and two in Kerala, has been witnessing infrastructure upgrade: redevelopment of important stations, construction of road over and under bridges, track improvement to increase the speed of express trains and gauge conversion. The huge increase in this year’s allocation is a fillip, officials say.

Southern Railway has announced nine new track projects, costing ₹1,158 crore, as against only ₹59 crore last year; 16 track-doubling projects, costing ₹1,564 crore (₹381 crore in 2022-23); a 230% increase in the outlay for customer amenities — ₹1,081 crore as against ₹327 crore in 2022-23; ₹563 crore for 245 road over bridges (ROBs) and road under bridges (RUBs); and improvements to the safety and punctuality of train services with the upgrade of the signal and telecommunication network on an outlay of ₹382 crore as against ₹189 crore last year.

R.N. Singh, General Manager, Southern Railway, said at a post-Budget press meeting that ₹6,080 crore had been allotted to the State, comprising the divisions of Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai and Salem.

The redevelopment of stations in Egmore, Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari, Katpadi and Madurai has begun; track improvement has been completed in the Chennai-Renigunta, Arakkonam-Jolarpettai and Chennai-Gudur sections to speed up Vande Bharat trains. 85% of the track network has been electrified and Southern Railway is planning to cover the rest on an outlay of ₹383.92 crore. The electrification will be taken up on nine routes in the State.

In Tiruchi Railway Division, new broad gauge lines from Karaikal to Peralam through Thirunallar and from Nagapattinam to Thiruthuraipoondi through Thirukuvalai are under way. The Centre has allotted ₹183.54 crore for the two lines during the 2023-24 fiscal.

The Karaikal-Peralam line is a high-priority project because it will reduce the journey time to Karaikal from Mayiladuthurai for passenger and freight trains, skipping the circuitous route through Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Nagore.