Ashwini Vaishnaw claims the Rail Budget for Tamil Nadu up over 8.5 times since 2014.

New Delhi, February 9, 2026: Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has stated that Tamil Nadu’s railway budget allocation has increased by more than 8.5 times since 2014, reaching Rs 7,611 crore in 2026-27.

The Minister shared this information through a series of posts on the social media platform X.

Ashwini Vaishnaw pointed out that land acquisition is a tough affair in Tamil Nadu:

Highlighting challenges affecting project execution, Ashwini Vaishnaw said that land acquisition remains a major bottleneck for several railway projects in the state.

For ongoing projects, only 24 percent of the required land—1,052 hectares out of 4,326 hectares—has been handed over so far.

He added that Rs 1,465 crore has already been paid to the Tamil Nadu government towards land acquisition.

The Minister noted that several critical projects are facing delays due to pending land acquisition.

He pointed out that 91 percent of land acquisition is pending for the Madurai—Tuticorin new line via Aruppukottai (144 km), while 86 percent remains pending for the Tindivanam—Gingee—Tiruvennamalai new line (71.33 km).

He also stated that although the foundation stone for the Rameswaram—Dhanushkodi new line was laid by the Prime Minister in 2019, land acquisition for the project has yet to commence.

Despite these challenges, Vaishnaw emphasized that the Central Government has sanctioned multiple new lines, doubling, and third and fourth line projects to support Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial growth.

He added that Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have also been prepared for further capacity expansion.

77 railway stations selected for redevelopment:

The Minister further highlighted that 77 railway stations in Tamil Nadu have been selected for complete redevelopment under the Amrit Stations Scheme, with redevelopment work already completed at 18 stations. Since 2014, approximately 1,350 km of new railway track has been laid in the state.

Significant progress has also been made in electrification, with 97 percent of the railway network in Tamil Nadu now electrified. A total of 2,396 km of rail lines have been electrified during this period.

Vaishnaw said that “Made in India” modern trains are ensuring improved and affordable travel for passengers, with nine pairs each of Vande Bharat Express and Amrit Bharat Express services currently operating in Tamil Nadu.

Also Read: Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that a successful second mountain tunnel was achieved for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

EOM.