The Railway Board has sanctioned the expansion of a third and fourth line from Athipattu to Gummidipoondi on the north section of the Chennai suburban railway. This project is expected to significantly boost freight revenue by accommodating increased freight traffic in the industrial belt and will also help a large workforce commute to their factories more efficiently.

Senior railway officials said the Railway Board has sanctioned ₹374.30 crore for the expansion of a 47-km stretch between Athipattu and Gummidipoondi. This section, which falls under the Chennai-Gudur corridor of the northeast line, is expected to not only boost freight loading capacity by 8.71 million tonnes per annum but also facilitate faster movement of steel, foodgrains, petrochemicals, fertilisers, cement, and automobiles from factories located in both the southern and northern parts of Chennai.

The expansion would also benefit suburban commuters as well as mail and express passengers, as the fourth line expansion from Egmore to Beach has created dedicated corridors for slow and fast trains.

North Chennai residents to benefit

Among the suburban train services operated by Southern Railway, residents of north Chennai are served by the fewest trains, despite the majority of the population living in economically disadvantaged conditions.

The north Chennai localities of Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Minjur, and Gummidipoondi, are industrial hubs with several thermal power stations, petroleum refineries, and other major industries. They also house a large workforce catering to these industries.

Industrial workers rely on public transport to reach their workplaces, but in practice, both suburban train and bus services are limited. Among the four suburban train corridors, the northern section, from Moore Market Complex to Gummidipoondi via Athipattu, has the fewest services, with just 90 trains, even fewer than the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) operating between Beach and Velachery.

Thousands of commuters in north Chennai have been demanding the expansion of the track network from Athipattu to Gummidipoondi, from the current two tracks to four, for several years, to enable more suburban train services comparable to those in the western and southern sections.

The track expansion would also pave the way for increasing the speed on the Gudur section from the current 130 kmph to 160 kmph, said M. Senthamil Selvan, Chief Public Relations Officer of Southern Railway.

Social activist S. Suresh Babu said the track expansion project would be a milestone for the residents of Gummidipoondi. Being one of the busiest train corridors, the route has long suffered from chronic commuter congestion, lack of punctuality, and inadequate rail infrastructure upgrades. The expansion would help decongest the existing tracks by allowing segregated operations for Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), express trains, and freight services. Moreover, officials said, it would give a major boost to regional industrial and economic activity.

While residents of north Chennai are pleased with the track expansion project, they want the work to be completed within the announced two-year timeline.

S. Muruganandham, a resident of Kavarapettai, said the project, covering seven railway stations, must be commissioned on schedule. He pointed out that such track expansion projects are often delayed, citing the long-pending Egmore-Beach fourth line, which took more than one and a half years to complete, despite being planned as a six-month project.