Southern Railway’s Chennai division has undertaken major yard remodelling works at Arakkonam to reduce frequent halts of suburban and express trains on the Thiruvalangadu–Arakkonam section caused by track constraints. The project includes the construction of third and fourth railway lines between Puliyamangalam and Arakkonam station, straightening of tracks, and the extension of a century-old subway near the station.

The yard upgradation works, which began last month, are being executed at an estimated cost of Rs 970 million. At present, trains from Chennai Central bound for Arakkonam, Tiruttani and Katpadi are often forced to halt in this section because only two railway lines exist between Puliyamangalam and Arakkonam. The addition of two more lines is expected to eliminate track changes and significantly reduce delays for long-distance services to Bengaluru, Kerala, Tirupati and Mumbai, as well as for suburban trains.

Railway officials said that when the third and fourth lines were developed in the Tiruvallur–Arakkonam section during 2005–06, work could only be completed up to Puliyamangalam due to land constraints. The remaining 2 km stretch to Arakkonam continued to operate with just two lines, compelling express and local trains to share the same tracks. With the current project now under way, local trains will be directly routed to platforms 3, 4 and 5 with minimal track crossings, while the existing additional line will be connected to platform 1. This will allow Katpadi-bound services, including Vande Bharat and other non-stop trains, to operate at higher speeds.

Residents have welcomed the project but flagged short-term inconvenience. Local commuters said road traffic has been disrupted due to the subway extension work, while others noted that trains were earlier halted for up to 30 minutes during evening peak hours, causing hardship for office-goers.

Around 200 suburban trains operate daily on the Chennai–Arakkonam and Chennai–Tiruttani routes, while more than 130 express and freight trains pass through Arakkonam station each day. The Arakkonam–Chennai section serves approximately 0.55 million passengers daily, and the upgrade is expected to substantially improve punctuality and operational efficiency.