Tamil Nadu projects delayed due to pending land acquisition with state govt: Vaishnaw responds to Stalin's claims

Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday responded to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's claims that delayed railway projects in the state are caused by the persistent delays in fund releases by the ministry, calling them "baseless". Vaishnaw countered the claims, saying 'development cannot progress without cooperation' and that several critical projects are delayed due to pending land acquisition with the state government.

Vaishnaw noted that the Budget allocation for Tamil Nadu has increased more than 8.5 times since 2014, reaching Rs 7,611 crore in 2026–27 and that "projects are not stalled due to lack of funds, any such claim is baseless."

CM Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention to expedite sanctioned railway projects through the release of pending funds and the revival of stalled works, ahead of the state’s upcoming elections. He flagged what he called persistent delays in fund releases by the Railways and the practice of piecemeal funding, warning that these have slowed down several critical projects and left landowners in prolonged uncertainty.


In his letter to Modi, Stalin pointed out that while the Tamil Nadu government has already granted administrative approval for the acquisition of 2,500.61 hectares of land for various central railway projects, funds are yet to be released for 931.52 hectares.

He blamed the state government for slow land acquisition, which is causing delays in several critical projects. "Development cannot progress without cooperation," he said in a post on X, adding that only 24% of the required land has been handed over, i.e., 1,052 ha out of 4,326 ha.

Also read: Stalin seeks Modi’s intervention on stalled rail projects as TN heads to polls

Rs 1,465 crore has already been paid to the Tamil Nadu Government for land acquisition, Vaishnaw said. Land acquisition is a major issue on many projects, he added, listing the railway projects facing the problem.

“The delays in releasing funds and the piecemeal allocation... have hindered the progress of railway projects in Tamil Nadu,” the chief minister alleged, adding that this has created a state of “prolonged uncertainty” for affected landowners, according to an official release.

Vaishnaw stated that the foundation stone of Rameswaram - Dhanushkodi new line project was laid by PM Modi in 2019. "Fact of the matter is that, due to non-cooperation of Tamil Nadu, land acquisition is yet to start in this project," Vaishnaw said, countering Stalin's remarks on stalled fund releases by the Centre. "Despite these challenges, the Centre has sanctioned multiple new lines, doublings and 3rd/4th lines," he added.

Detailed project reports (DPRs) are prepared for further capacity expansion to support Tamil Nadu’s economic and industrial growth.

Furthering his counter remarks, the railway minister mentioned that the government has identified 77 Amrit stations in Tamil Nadu for complete redevelopment, out of which, work has already been completed for 18 stations. He noted that approximately 1,350 km of tracks have been constructed since 2014. Railways in poll-bound Tamil Nadu have achieved 97% electrification, with 2,386 km of rail lines electrified since 2014.

Currently, 9 pairs of services of Vande Bharat Express and Amrit Bharat Express each are currently operational in the southern state.

"⁠The Centre is ready and committed. Timely support from the state government is essential to deliver faster infrastructure growth to the people of Tamil Nadu," Vaishnaw noted.