The Ministry of Railways has approved the laying of a fourth line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu at an estimated cost of Rs 757.18 crore, aimed at boosting connectivity in the state, the Southern Railway said.
The Tambaram-Chengalpattu section is currently a three-line stretch on the Chennai Beach - Villupuram - Tiruchirappalli - Kanyakumari sections, serving suburban, long-distance trains.
Due to the heavy utilisation of suburban, express and freight traffic trains, the section experiences frequent congestion, impacting punctuality and capacity expansion, the Southern Railway said in a release here.
Setting up a fourth line would greatly benefit commuters bound for southern districts, "easing congestion and enabling smoother suburban train operations there by improving connectivity."
With the capacity utilisation of the existing three-line stretch in the Tambaram-Chengalpattu section standing at 87 per cent and projected to increase to 136 per cent, the proposed fourth line would ease congestion, promote a shift from road to rail transport benefitting passenger and freight traffic, the release said.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has accorded approval for the crucial project at an estimated completion cost of Rs 757.18 crore, and the Southern Railway is poised to take up this vital capacity augmentation work at the earliest. It would be executed by the Southern Railway under 'Plan Head-15 (Doubling), identified as part of the 'Energy, Mineral and Cement Corridor' of the Railways, it said.
"With growing suburban traffic and large-scale residential and industrial development in and around Tambaram, Guduvancheri, Chengalpattu, Sriperumbudur, the Tambaram-Chengalpattu fourth line will be a boon for daily commuters, school and college students, office goers, IT professionals and government employees," the release said.
The fourth line is expected to generate additional freight traffic of 1.344 million tonne per annum, resulting in additional earnings of Rs 157 crore, after commissioning as the section covers many industrial units located in the state Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) industrial parks in Oragadam, Padappai and Kancheepuram.
The proposed airport at Parandur near Kancheepuram would further intensify travel demand in the corridor, it said.
"Upon development of Tambaram as a major coaching terminal, the new line will meet the future traffic requirements, segregating suburban and Express train services, improving operational efficiency and reduction of travel time for passengers," the release added.
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