Third, Fourth Railway Lines Approved Between Arakkonam And Renigunta
The Union Cabinet approved third and fourth railway lines between Arakkonam and Renigunta, adding 77 km of capacity and easing congestion on the Tirupati route.
The Union Cabinet has approved construction of the third and fourth railway lines between Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu and Renigunta in Andhra Pradesh - a 77-km project that will add capacity to the rail corridor serving Tirupati.
The project is among five multi-tracking works approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs on Wednesday at an estimated cost of `10,021 crore. Together, these projects would add about 540km of railway capacity across AP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.
The addition of two lines is significant for the Tirupati region as both Arakkonam and Renigunta are important railway junctions through which trains are routed. Renigunta, in particular, serves as a key rail gateway for the passenger traffic to Tirupati.
This would also strengthen rail connectivity along a pilgrimage circuit covering Tirupati and Tiruttani. The corridor provides access to religious destinations, including the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala, the Subramanya Swamy temple in Tiruttani and the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari temple in Tiruchanur, and help handle heavy pilgrim traffic during peak seasons.
The line addition is expected to provide operational flexibility on the corridor, which handles passenger, long-distance and freight services. This would enable the railways to handle additional traffic on the busy Chennai–Tirupati route during peak pilgrimage periods and provide more capacity for regulating train movements through the two junctions.
The 77-km project had been proposed to ease congestion, increase line capacity and improve punctuality while supporting growing freight demand. It has already moved into the land-acquisition process. A January 2026 Gazette notification designated the Arakkonam–Renigunta sector’s third and fourth line as a special railway project for land acquisition in Tirupati and Chittoor districts.
The DPR for the additional lines was completed and submitted to the railway board earlier this year. The extension from the four-line Chennai–Arakkonam section towards Renigunta is expected to strengthen rail connectivity and capacity towards AP and down south.
The Cabinet approval comes as the railways is also taking up other capacity-enhancement works around Tirupati, including the third line between Gudur and Renigunta. Land-acquisition proceedings for the 83.17-km Gudur–Renigunta third-line project have begun in Tirupati district.