PM Modi to open Chennai Beach-Egmore fourth rail line, infrastructure projects in Puducherry and Madurai

PUDUCHERRY: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on March 1. He will reach Chennai around 9pm on Feb 28.

On Sunday, Modi will dedicate to the nation the Chennai Beach-Chennai Egmore fourth line, a rail line that will significantly enhance operational efficiency in the Chennai suburban rail network by facilitating additional passenger and freight train services. It will benefit lakhs of commuters, including office-goers, IT professionals, students and traders.

He will dedicate to the nation various development projects worth over Rs 2,700 crore in Puducherry.

Modi will dedicate to the nation the 750acre Karasur-Sedarapet Industrial Estate, which will house a pharma park, textile park, IT Park, state-of-the-art research and development centre of IIT Madras and advanced healthcare facilities of Jipmer, thereby providing a major boost to industrial growth and employment generation in the region.

He will lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the Marakanam–Puducherry National Highway.

The four-laning of the Marakkanam–Puducherry section will help reduce traffic congestion in urban areas of Puducherry, and reduce travel time by nearly 50%, from one hour to about 30 minutes. The project will provide seamless connectivity among key National Highways and state highways, enhance access to prominent destinations such as Mamallapuram, Kalpakkam atomic power station and Auroville, strengthen connectivity between coastal villages and Villupuram district headquarters, and boost tourism and economic activity in the region.

The PM will then travel to Madurai and dedicate to the nation completed projects and lay the foundation stone of new infrastructure projects. All these projects (including completed ones) are worth over Rs 4,400 crore.

He will open the Paramakudi–Ramanathapuram National Highway. The four-laning of the Paramakudi–Ramanathapuram will provide faster access to major religious destinations, including Madurai, Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi. The project will reduce travel time by around 40%, from one hour to approximately 35 minutes. It will strengthen multi-modal connectivity by linking major railway stations at Madurai and Rameswaram, airports at Madurai and INS Parundu, and non-major ports at Pamban and Rameswaram. The corridor will integrate key economic nodes, including fishing clusters, a special economic zone, a mega food park and a textile cluster, thereby catalysing trade, industry and socio-economic development across the region.

Modi will inaugurate eight redeveloped railway stations at Morappur, Bommidi, Srivilliputtur, Sholavandan, Manaparai, Pollachi Junction, Karaikkudi Junction, and Tiruvarur Junction in Tamil Nadu. These stations have been upgraded with modern passenger-centric amenities while incorporating local architectural elements and cultural aesthetics, including improved accessibility, enhanced station buildings, modern waiting halls, lifts and escalators, upgraded platforms and Divyangjan-friendly facilities.

Modi will inaugurate three new FM relay transmitters at Kumbakonam, Yercaud and Vellore. These transmitters will expand regional coverage, ensure uninterrupted FM broadcasting and enhance access to public broadcasting services across multiple districts of the state.