Arakkonam - Renigunta 3rd and 4th Railway Lines Approved at ₹1,936 Crore

The Railway Board has formally sanctioned the 77-km Arakkonam-Renigunta 3rd and 4th railway line project at a completion cost of ₹1,936.46 crore. The sanction comes shortly after the Union Cabinet approved the project as part of a major railway capacity expansion programme.

The Arakkonam–Renigunta section is an important part of the Mumbai–Chennai High-Density Network and is currently operating at around 120% of its line capacity. The addition of two new railway lines is expected to significantly improve passenger and freight movement along the route.

Boost to Freight Transportation

The project is expected to create additional capacity for around 7.21 million tonnes of freight traffic annually. It will strengthen freight connectivity towards Ennore and Andhra Pradesh, while supporting the movement of automobiles, industrial goods and other commodities.

The route also plays an important role in connecting the Kudgi and Rayalaseema power plants with Ennore. Improved rail capacity is expected to support industries and economic centres in the region, including SIDCO Tiruvallur, SIPCOT Ranipet and cement industries around Arakkonam.

According to the project details, the railway expansion could generate annual logistics cost savings of around ₹110 crore.

12 Major and 221 Minor Bridges

The Arakkonam–Renigunta railway project includes construction and associated works involving 12 major bridges and 221 minor bridges, along with track, signalling, telecommunications and electrical infrastructure.

The project is targeted for completion within three years.

₹1,936 Crore Project Cost Breakdown

The sanctioned completion cost has been allocated across different components:

Civil works: ₹1,504.42 crore

Signalling and telecommunications: ₹225.58 crore

Electrical and traction-related works: ₹206.46 crore

Total: ₹1,936.46 crore

The Railway Board`s September 21 sanction order places the project under capacity augmentation works covering the doubling, tripling and quadrupling of railway lines.

Major Railway Infrastructure Expansion

The Arakkonam–Renigunta project was among five multitracking projects approved by the Union Cabinet at a combined estimated cost of ₹10,021 crore. Collectively, these projects cover approximately 540 km across 17 districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana and are planned for completion by 2029–30.

The additional railway lines are expected to improve network capacity, strengthen freight movement and support industrial connectivity along one of the important railway corridors linking Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.