Land Acquisition Delays Slow Execution of Tamil Nadu Railway Projects.

Execution of key railway projects in Tamil Nadu has been delayed due to hold-ups in land acquisition, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to DMK MP Tiruchi Siva in the Rajya Sabha recently.

Citing an example, Vaishnaw said the Rameshwaram–Dhanushkodi new line (18 km), sanctioned at a cost of ₹734 crore, has not progressed despite the foundation stone being laid on March 1, 2019, as the Tamil Nadu government has not undertaken the required land acquisition.

Over the last three financial years-FY23, FY24, and FY25—and in the current fiscal, 28 surveys for new lines and doubling projects covering a total of 2,493 km have been sanctioned in Tamil Nadu, the minister added.