Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday raised concerns over the substantial reduction in budget allocations for Southern Railway, particularly affecting railway projects in Tamil Nadu for the financial year 2024-25. In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Stalin emphasized the need for adequate funding to ensure the timely completion of new lines, doubling works, and customer amenities in the state.
Stalin highlighted that the budget for new line projects had been drastically reduced from ₹976.1 crore in the Interim Budget to ₹301.3 crore in the Regular Budget, a reduction of ₹674.8 crore. Similarly, he pointed out a decrease of ₹285.64 crore in the allocation for doubling projects, which dropped from ₹2,214.4 crore to ₹1,928.8 crore.
“The drastic reduction in allocation of funds by ₹674.8 crore for new line projects will severely affect the progress of many important ongoing projects in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin warned in his letter. He further stressed the importance of expediting critical railway works related to the Kilambakkam bus terminus, EMU services, and MRTS lines before the onset of the northeast monsoon.
The Chief Minister also called for the restoration of MRTS services to the Chennai Beach station, the handover of the MRTS line to the Tamil Nadu government after securing approval from the railway board, and the speedy completion of the Detailed Project Report for the Tambaram-Chengalpattu 4th line project. He urged for the early introduction of AC EMU services on the Beach-Tambaram-Chengalpattu section, approval for integrated ticketing, and the enhancement of suburban train services in Chennai with a peak hour headway of 5-7 minutes.
Stalin concluded by seeking the Railway Minister’s personal intervention to prevent further delays in these crucial projects due to budget constraints.