The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved ₹2,229 crore for third and fourth railway lines across the 90-km Gummidipundi–Gudur section linking Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The heavily used two-track section is reported at over 131% line-capacity utilisation, making the approval a major capacity intervention on the northern rail approach to Chennai.
The Union government has approved a major expansion of the railway corridor north of Chennai, clearing construction of third and fourth lines between Gummidipundi and Gudur at an estimated cost of ₹2,229 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the 90-km multitracking project on August 19, as part of four railway capacity projects worth approximately ₹9,450 crore. The wider package will add around 410 km to the railway network across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and is targeted for completion by 2030-31.
For Chennai, however, the Gummidipundi–Gudur section has particular operational significance. It forms part of both the Howrah–Chennai and Delhi–Chennai High Density Networks, while also serving the Vizag–Chennai Industrial Corridor. The existing section has two tracks, and railway assessments place its line-capacity utilisation at about 131%, indicating that existing capacity is already heavily constrained.
The project covers Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu and Tirupati district in Andhra Pradesh. It is planned to include 21 major bridges, 127 minor bridges and 34 road-overbridge/road-underbridge structures, including a 360-metre bridge across the Swarnamukhi River.
Railways estimates that the additional tracks could accommodate another 21.24 million tonnes of freight annually and generate around ₹382.15 crore in annual logistics savings. The corridor is particularly important for industrial and port traffic serving Kamarajar Port at Ennore, Chennai-area logistics flows and Krishnapatnam Port.
The new approval also fits into a larger expansion of Chennai’s northern rail approaches. The Chennai–Attipattu section is already four-lined, while third and fourth lines between Attipattu and Gummidipundi were sanctioned earlier. Southern Railway had also previously cleared the detailed project report for the Gummidipundi–Gudur expansion.
The latest Cabinet decision is therefore a financial and project approval, not the completion of the corridor. Construction, land acquisition and commissioning still remain ahead.
