4th Line Between Chengalpet-Guduvanchery On Fast Track

The total cost of the project was estimated at Rs. 1.165 crore and the railways will provide a 730-day (2 years) contract for the completion of the first phase when the contractor is selected through the tender process.

The total distance is 30 km and it will be carried out in two phases. The first phase between Guduvanchery and Chengalpet for a distance of 21 km will be taken up soon.

The tenders for the second phase between Guduvanchery and Tambaram for a distance of 9 km will be issued soon. Once the fourth line is in place, the number of trains could be increased by about 25 per cent. This will benefit people from the southern districts, and more special trains could be operated during the festival season.

The Tambaram-Chengalpet railway track remains a major route for the southern districts and more than 50 express trains move on it every day, besides more than 250 suburban trains. But there are only three tracks between Tambaram and Chengalpet and the railways find it difficult to operate additional trains on the major route.

Once there is a fourth line, the speed of trains could also be increased since the congestion on the route will come down. Besides laying the fourth track, modern signals, telecommunication facilities, electrification and altering the tracks for usage should be carried out by the firm taking up the project.

Not much problem in land acquisition was faced by the railways since lands near the existing tracks were acquired. The second phase of the project from Tambaram to Guduvanchery could face land acquisition problems or change in the platform designs. However, the track could be along the Chennai-Tiruchy national highway.

The fourth line will be allocated for Vande Bharat and other express trains.

The other tracks could be used for the operation of suburban trains. The shifting of express trains to the fourth line will be useful since more suburban trains could be operated from Chengalpet to Tambaram. At present, express trains and suburban trains are stopped for a long time at Kattankulathur, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengalpet and Singaperumalkoil.

This delays the arrival of suburban and express trains. If the express trains are allocated a particular line, both suburban and express trains could move without stopping at any place, avoiding delay. At present the speed of the suburban trains is between 110 km per hour and 120 kmph. Once the fourth line project is completed, the speed is expected to go up to 160 kmph.

The first track was laid up to Chengalpet in 1933 and the second track came into existence in 1957, up to Tambaram. In the 1970s, Chennai started expanding beyond Guindy and there was rapid development till Tambaram. Now, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has extended Chennai till Chengalpet. Between Tambaram and Chengalpet, many residential areas, industries, software parks, a Sipcot in Maraimalai Nagar, Ford car factory, Vandalur zoo, Kilambakkam mofussil bus terminus, private universities, engineering colleges, prestigious schools and shopping malls have come up in the last few decades. In recent years, the development of the suburbs between Tambaram and Chengalpet is far greater than that of Chennai city.

The second track was in place in the early ‘80s but the number of trains in the suburban section was not increased. After the inauguration of the Kilambakkam mofussil terminus in December 2023, lakhs of people started using the new terminus and the nearest railway station in Urapakkam was more than 1 km away. A railway station is being built at Kilambakkam and more passengers are expected to use the suburban trains once the station is opened. At present, people depend on MTC buses to reach the Kilambakkam terminus.

After operations started on the third track, passengers expected the extension of all trains reaching Tambaram to be extended to Chengalpet. Again, the railway officials rejected the demand for additional trains in the Tambaram-Chengalpet sector or extension of Tambaram trains to Chengalpet. Now, the railways is promising to increase train services between Tambaram and Chengalpet after the laying of the fourth track. The officials have also promised that more facilities will be provided to passengers once the fourth line is completed.