Several railway infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu have either been put on hold or frozen, according to recent disclosures from the Indian Railways’ Construction Department. These include three new railway line proposals — Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai, Attipattu-Puttur, and Chennai-Cuddalore — which have been kept in abeyance. In addition, the Madurai-Thoothukudi line via Aruppukkottai and the Erode-Palani route have been officially frozen by the Railway Board.

Responding to an RTI query by citizen Naveen B, Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) J Kumarasubramanian confirmed that the Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai project is on hold, pending the submission of a detailed project report (DPR) as requested by the Railway Board. The DPR for the Sriperumbudur-Guduvancheri line is currently under preparation.

He further noted that the Madurai-Thoothukudi route via Aruppukkottai, a 143.5-km new line, is being shelved due to low freight potential. Although work on the 18-km Milavittan-Melamarudur stretch has been completed, the Erode-Palani new line has also been frozen.

Land acquisition for the Tiruvannamalai-Tindivanam line had been approved in 2011, covering 229.23 hectares. However, progress has stalled. According to a previous RTI response to activist Dayanand Krishnan, cumulative expenditure up to March 2025 includes Rs 728.75 million for the Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai project, Rs 14.8 million for Erode-Palani, Rs 41.6 million for Chennai-Cuddalore, Rs 33.4 million for Attipattu-Puttur, and Rs 12.4 million for Sriperumbudur-Guduvancheri.

Krishnan criticised the delays, especially given Tiruvannamalai’s significance as a pilgrimage site. “The Southern Railway must complete projects that have high potential for passenger use. Land acquisition is repeatedly cited as a bottleneck, yet agencies like the NHAI complete their projects efficiently. A dedicated coordination agency between the Railways and the state government is needed,” he said.