Gummidipundi-Gudur 4-laning Central nod

CHENNAI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Gummidipundi-Gudur 3rd and 4th lines, 90 km between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, for Rs 2,229 crore and targeted for completion by 2030-31.

Gudur is a critical interchange linking Chennai, Vijayawada and Renigunta. Gummidipundi serves as a key suburban node for daily commuters to and from Chennai, and once completed, it will provide seamless connectivity to Chennai, Kamarajar (Ennore) and Krishnapatnam ports, besides improving access to religious and tourist destinations like Pulicat Lake, Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary and Lord Veeraraghava Perumal Temple.

The 90-km Gummidipundi-Gudur section is a vital double-line corridor along the Delhi-Chennai and Howrah-Chennai trunk routes. Falling within the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) and East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), Gudur serves as a crucial interchange linking Chennai, Vijayawada, and Renigunta, while Gummidipundi acts as a primary suburban node for Chennai commuters.

The Gummidipundi-Gudur link alone will generate 61 lakh mandays of employment and save Rs 382.15 crore in annual logistics costs. Gummidipoondi Railway Passengers Welfare Association president, S Suresh Babu, said, "We welcome the move. If an additional line comes, we get additional stoppages and train services, which will reduce our daily travel time to Chennai. Now an express train comes from Chennai Central; EMU trains are kept in a loop."

The other projects include Kharagpur-Bhadrak (Ranital) 4th Line — 173 km (West Bengal and Odisha, Bhadrak-Haridaspur 4th line — 75 km (Odisha) and Cuttack-Paradeep (Badabandha) 3rd and 4 th line — 72 km (Odisha). The total cost of the four projects is estimated around Rs 9,450 crore.