Detailed Project Report prepared for Thanjavur-Karaikal track doubling: Railway Minister

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for track doubling of the Thanjavur-Nagapattinam-Karaikal broad gauge section has been prepared.  Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this in a written to reply to an unstarred question by DMK Rajya Sabha member S. Kalyanasundaram recently.

Mr. Kalyanasundaram had sought to know from the Railway Minister the present status of the long-pending demand for doubling the Thanjavur-Villupuram broad gauge section. The MP wanted to know if the doubling of track between Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai was likely to be completed before Mahamaham 2028.

The Railway Minister said: “Survey for doubling the Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai-Thanjavur section has been sanctioned for preparation of the DPR.  To further improve connectivity in the region, survey for Thanjavur-Nagapattinam-Karaikal doubling (96 km) has also been sanctioned and the DPR has been prepared.” 

The Minister said after preparation of the DPR, sanctioning of the project requires consultation with various stakeholders, including the State government and necessary approvals such as appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines could not be fixed.

The Thanjavur-Tiruvarur-Nagapattinam-Karaikal section is a single line stretch covering parts of the delta region. Rail users of this region have been consistently seeking the railway authorities to accord early approval for doubling the Thanjavur-Karaikal section as this would eventually result in introduction of more passenger trains. 

The single line section witnesses operation of passenger and freight trains transporting coal from the Karaikal port to different destinations. “The Thanjavur-Karaikal doubling project is definitely the need of the hour as it would enhance train connectivity for the rail users in Nagore, Nagapattinam, and Tirunallar,” said A. Giri, secretary, Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association. Further, track doubling would enhance services to southern and western destinations, Mr. Giri added.

“The railway administration should accord priority and grant early approval for the Thanjavur-Karaikal doubling project and allocate sufficient funds for its execution and timely completion”, said S. Mohan, president, Nagore Nagapattinam Rail Users Association.

Track doubling would lead to introduction of more trains as there was a very high demand right now from the rail users of Nagore, Nagapattinam, and Karaikal to provide connectivity to destinations such as Madurai, Tirunelveli and Coimbatore, Mr. Mohan said.