Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, announced on Monday that Tamil Nadu will receive an increased allocation of Rs 7,611 crore in the Union Budget 2026-27, marking a 14.9% increase over the previous year’s allocation of Rs 6,626 crore. The funds will be utilized for ongoing new line projects, track doubling, station redevelopment, and various safety-related works across the state.
Details on project-wise allocations are expected to be released following the release of the Pink Book. In a significant development, the Railways has decided to revive three long-dormant new line projects in Tamil Nadu. These include the Chennai-Cuddalore line via Mahabalipuram, the Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai line, and the Sriperumbudur-Guduvanchery line via Irungattukottai, which are now under active consideration for execution.
As part of the first phase of the 58-km Avadi-Guduvanchery-Sriperumbudur new line project, the 32-km stretch between Sriperumbudur, Irungattukottai, and Guduvanchery will be prioritized. Sushil Kumar Maurya, Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) at Southern Railway, stated that funding for this phase is expected to come from the current year’s budget.
Meanwhile, the ongoing redevelopment work at Egmore station is progressing well and is expected to be completed by December. Additional General Manager of Southern Railway, Kaushal Kishore, revealed that currently, two platforms are being blocked in a phased manner for upgrade works at Egmore. Post May, there may no longer be the need to divert trains from Egmore to Tambaram.
