41 villages, one 350kmph dream: land acquisition begins for Chennai-Bengaluru bullet train

Land acquisition has begun in 41 villages along the route of India’s third bullet train corridor, connecting Chennai and Bengaluru, as the Centre floats tenders for pre-construction activity on the 306.2km project. The tender directs the contractor to finalise an updated alignment for a corridor that currently spans eight stations, three of which fall in Tamil Nadu: Chennai Central, Poonamalle and Parandur.

The corridor is designed to run elevated through Perambur, Kolathur, ICF, Madhavaram, Padi, the Chennai Bypass and Chennai-Thiruvallur Highway, before passing through Annanur, Poonamalle and Arakkonam, and then joining the alignment of the upcoming Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway through Chittoor, Kolar, Kodihalli and White Field, ending at Baiyappanahalli in Bengaluru. Three tunnels are planned along the way, including an 11.8km stretch through the Kaundinya wildlife sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh and a 14.7km tunnel under Bengaluru, with roughly 28km of the total route running underground.

Station plans have shifted too. The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited had proposed a full station at Parandur in its original detailed project report, but the latest tender marks it as only a ‘future station’, with the remaining stations on the line classified as ‘stop stations’. Officials said a station will still be planned for Kancheepuram, Arakkonam and Sriperambudur, depending on airport connectivity, regardless of the final call on Parandur. Residents of Vellore district will be able to use a station at Chittor, about 20km north.

The first station on the corridor will be built on the western side of Chennai Suburban Railway Station, linked to Chennai Central and its metro station via 100-metre and 50-metre connections, while the Poonamalle station will connect to the Outer Ring Road and a metro station.

Once operational, the bullet train is expected to run at 350kmph, cutting the Chennai-Bengaluru journey to under an hour, compared with about seven hours currently by road. The project is targeted for completion by 2035, at an estimated cost of close to ₹18,000 crore, a figure that will be finalised once the contractor submits its revised alignment study.

The tender also requires the Indian Railways to coordinate with the National Highways Authority of India for connectivity with the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway (NE-7). This is the third bullet train corridor under construction in India, alongside the Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Delhi-Varanasi projects.

Image credit: Ministry of Railways / GODL-India.