NE RAILWAY BUREAU
KUMBAKONAM, OCT 4
A long-standing railway demand of passengers in the Kumbakonam region has moved a significant step forward with the Centre approving doubling of the railway track between Aduthurai and Sundaraperumal Koil via Kumbakonam, raising hopes of faster trains, fewer delays and additional services on the heavily used Thanjavur–Villupuram route.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has conveyed the approval in a letter to Union Minister of State for Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Dr L Murugan. Dr Murugan subsequently shared a copy of the letter on his Facebook page.
- Aduthurai–Sundaraperumal Koil stretch gets nod for doubling through Kumbakonam
- Move comes as 148-year-old Thanjavur–Villupuram line struggles with single-line bottlenecks
- Around 90 daily crossings slow trains and constrain introduction of additional services
- Approval offers a major boost ahead of 2028 Mahamaham festival
- Railway users’ body seeks speedy extension of doubling up to Mayiladuthurai and Villupuram
The development has been welcomed by railway passengers and the Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association, which has been pressing for the doubling of the historic Thanjavur–Villupuram railway line since 2014.
The 148-year-old Thanjavur–Villupuram route is an important rail corridor linking several parts of Tamil Nadu with Chennai, Rameswaram, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Sengottai, Salem, Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari. It also provides direct connectivity to destinations in other States, including Mysuru, Tirupati, Hyderabad, Banaras (Kashi), Ayodhya, Bhubaneswar and New Jalpaiguri.
Single line, multiple bottlenecks
The Thanjavur, Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai railway stations on this route figure among the top five stations in the Tiruchirappalli Railway Division in terms of ticket revenue, underlining the route’s importance and passenger potential.
Yet, despite heavy passenger utilisation, the line remains largely a single-track corridor. This severely limits the scope for introducing additional trains according to demand.
Around 90 train crossings are carried out every day to allow trains travelling in opposite directions to pass each other. These operational constraints reduce the average speed of trains and contribute to delays.
The railway users’ association has argued that these limitations have also discouraged passengers from southern districts from preferring the Main Line through Thanjavur for their journeys.
The association has therefore been demanding conversion of the entire Thanjavur–Villupuram corridor into a double-line route. Its representatives have repeatedly taken up the issue with the Union Railway Minister, Dr L Murugan and senior Railway officials.
Seven years of survey
In 2019, an order was issued to conduct a survey for doubling the Thanjavur–Villupuram railway line. The survey and related project-preparation work have continued for the past seven years, with preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) now understood to be at an advanced stage.
The latest approval for the Aduthurai–Sundaraperumal Koil section, therefore, has generated considerable optimism among passengers and railway users in the Kumbakonam region.
The timing is particularly significant as Mahamaham festival is scheduled to be held in Kumbakonam in March 2028.
Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister Ramesh had recently stated that around 50 lakh devotees could travel by train to Kumbakonam for the festival.
Against this backdrop, the Thanjavur District Railway Users’ Association had urged the Railway Ministry to complete the doubling of the Thanjavur–Mayiladuthurai section before the Mahamaham festival, enabling Southern Railway to operate additional trains and handle the anticipated passenger surge.
Mahamaham deadline adds urgency
The demand was also placed before Railway Board Member Hitendra Malhotra when he visited Kumbakonam earlier this year.
The association has now welcomed the Centre’s decision, saying that the approved stretch would provide much-needed operational flexibility on either side of Kumbakonam and facilitate additional train services during Mahamaham.
Association secretary A Giri thanked Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for accepting the long-pending passenger demand and Dr L Murugan for recommending the project and pursuing the need for an immediate doubling initiative.
He also expressed gratitude to Southern Railway officials and Members of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly who have continued to press for doubling of the route.
‘Now take it to Villupuram’
The railway users’ body, however, made it clear that the latest approval should be treated as a beginning rather than the destination.
Association spokesperson Deepak Vasanth said the next priority should be to extend the doubling work to the Thanjavur–Mayiladuthurai section and thereafter complete the entire corridor up to Villupuram at the earliest.
For Kumbakonam, the approval is more than an infrastructure announcement. It represents a long-awaited attempt to unlock the capacity of a historic railway corridor that has increasingly struggled to cope with passenger demand.
With Mahamaham 2028 already looming on the horizon, the real test will now be whether the approved work can move swiftly enough to put a second track in service before millions of devotees converge on Kumbakonam.
