The proposed 778-km Hyderabad–Chennai high-speed rail corridor has taken a major step forward, with the South Central Railway submitting the final alignment for inclusion in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Tamil Nadu government and seeking prompt approvals to maintain momentum on survey activities. According to I. Jayakumar, Member Secretary of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA), the DPR will be finalised within a month once the state grants its clearance.
At Tamil Nadu’s request, the alignment has been revised to include a station at Tirupati instead of the earlier plan through Gudur, reflecting the state’s strategic preference. Designed to cut the existing 12-hour journey to just around 2 hours and 20 minutes, the corridor will feature two stations in Tamil Nadu—Chennai Central and a new high-speed rail station along the Chennai Ring Road near Minjur. The railways has further sought approximately 50 acres around each station to enable transit-oriented development, creating new commercial clusters and mobility hubs.
Chennai–Hyderabad Bullet Train: Land, Stations, and Survey Work Accelerate
In a recent letter to the state transport department, the South Central Railway requested early finalisation of station locations, in-principle approval for land acquisition, and integration of the high-speed corridor into Tamil Nadu’s long-term infrastructure master plan. Railway authorities have also sought joint field inspections to avoid delays to the Final Location Survey (FLS), which is progressing on a strict timeline. The Hyderabad–Chennai line is one of two high-speed corridors planned in South India, the other connecting Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Both projects form part of India’s larger strategy to expand high-speed rail connectivity beyond the Mumbai–Ahmedabad corridor, linking key economic centres across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently stated that survey work for these routes is already underway and emphasised their potential to link Hyderabad, Chennai, Amravati, and Bengaluru.
For Chennai, the project is particularly significant because the 61-km stretch within Tamil Nadu includes two major stations and is based on alignment studies conducted by RITES Limited. The land requirement for this section is estimated at 223.44 hectares, with officials noting that no forest land is involved, simplifying environmental clearances. The alignment intersects 65 roads and 21 high-tension power lines, requiring close coordination with state and utility authorities. A key engineering challenge is the proposed 11.6-km tunnel, which will undergo detailed geotechnical investigations. The route also passes near several northern Chennai settlements—including Pondavakkam, Thatchoor, Vichoor, Mathur, and Tondiarpet—where construction planning and urban impact mitigation will be crucial.
Summary:
The 778-km Hyderabad–Chennai high-speed rail project has progressed with final alignment submitted for DPR approval, including a new Tirupati station. Aiming to cut travel to 2 hours 20 minutes, the corridor involves major land, survey, and tunnel plans, forming part of India’s broader push to expand high-speed rail across southern states.
