Trichy's Manakkal Road Overbridge Delayed as Railways Miss Deadline

Trichy: The completion of the new Manakkal Road overbridge (RoB) near Lalgudi in Trichy city is facing further delays as the railways have yet to finish their portion of the work on this critical infrastructure, which connects numerous villages and towns in Trichy and Thanjavur districts. This has impacted commuters, who are now forced to wait for 10-15 minutes at the adjacent level crossing.

Project Background and Revised Deadlines

Sanctioned in 2023 at a cost of Rs 30.9 crore, the RoB, proposed between Trichy and Ariyalur stations, was initially scheduled for completion in 2025. However, the deadline was later revised to March 2026. Now, even that revised timeline has been missed.

The state highways department has completed 90% of the work on the two approach roads and abutments for the bridge near Lalgudi town. However, Southern Railway has not yet linked the two abutments, the section directly above the railway tracks.

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Impact on Commuters

Since the rail link is part of the Trichy-Villupuram chord line, one of the busiest rail routes in the state, dozens of passenger and freight trains use the route daily, forcing locals to spend 10-15 minutes at the level crossing.

Perambalur MP Arun Nehru expressed concern, stating, “Due to the incomplete RoB, a section of buses have been diverted, using a 7km detour route to cover agrarian villages around Lalgudi and Anbil. Railways claim that the Manakkal bridge span is one of the longest in the state and cite technical challenges. Whatever the reason, such a delay is troubling the public.”

Nehru recently inspected the pending bridge along with officials to understand the reasons for the one-year delay in commissioning the RoB.

Other Delayed RoB Projects

The Maris (Fort Station RoB) and Aristo (Trichy junction RoB) projects are also facing significant delays and missing deadlines. Railway sources have indicated that both RoB works will be expedited and commissioned by the end of the year.