TN acquired only 24% of land for railway projects: Vaishnaw

Madurai: Union minister for railways, information and broadcasting, electronics and information technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said that only 24% of the required 4,346 hectares of land for railway projects across Tamil Nadu was acquired so far by the state govt, and requested their co-operation in acquiring the remaining land.Addressing officials of the Southern Railway through video conference, Vaishnaw said that the deficit stalled many projects, such as the Thanjavur–Pudukottai line, for which nil land was acquired so far.The minister also announced that 7,600 crore has been allotted for railway projects to Tamil Nadu for the financial year 2026-27, which is nine times more than previous administrations allotted to the state. He further said that 35,700 crore was dedicated to ongoing projects within the state, with projects such as the Amrit Bharat scheme, under which 77 stations across the state are being upgraded to modern standards.Madurai divisional railway manager, Om Prakash Meena, added that of those 77 stations, Madurai division is responsible for the renovation of 17. "Four stations - Virudhunagar, Palani, Karaikudi and Ambasamudram, were already completed. Five more will be completed by the end of Feb, and the remaining by the end of this year. The focus is on providing amenities to passengers and improving the infrastructure of the stations," he said. The DRM also stated that the state govt recommended the rejection of the Rameswaram–Dhanushkodi line, citing issues with acquiring forest land.Meena added that construction of many limited use subways and manned line crossings are also being undertaken. "As many as 249 new LUSs were proposed at different locations and 23 were sanctioned."Feasibility surveys for the Madurai–Manamadurai doubling project are also moving forward, and work will commence once the survey is completed by the end of Dec. The DRM said that "once the work is completed, the speed limit for trains on that stretch will be increased to 130km/h from the current 110km/h."