The 778-km Hyderabad–Chennai high-speed rail project has gained major momentum with South Central Railway (SCR) submitting the final alignment to the Tamil Nadu government for inclusion in the detailed project report (DPR). 

SCR has also sought approvals to keep survey work progressing. The DPR will be completed within a month of state approval, said I. Jayakumar, Member Secretary of CUMTA, noting that the alignment was modified at Tamil Nadu’s request to include Tirupati instead of Gudur. The bullet train aims to slash travel time from 12 hours to just two hours 20 minutes. 

Tamil Nadu will host two stations — Chennai Central and another near Minjur on the Ring Road, and Railways has sought 50 acres around each for transit-oriented development. The state’s 61-km stretch will require 223.44 hectares of non-forest land and features an 11.6-km tunnel. Railways has urged quick approvals, joint inspections, and finalisation of station locations to keep timelines on track.