Southern Railway has undertaken a major redevelopment of Kumbakonam railway station to give it a complete makeover. The project is planned to be completed by December 2027.  

The task of executing the ₹99.84-crore project has been entrusted to the Southern Railway Construction Organisation. Kumbakonam is the second station after Puducherry in Tiruchi Railway Division where a multi-crore station redevelopment project has been taken up.

A host of passenger amenities and other works, including increasing the existing platform length, form part of the project for which contracts have been awarded.

Under the project, Kumbakonam, which is one of the top revenue generating stations in Tiruchi Railway Division, will have a new station building. Pile foundation work for the structure was in progress, a senior railway official said.  The new building will be constructed with a 12-metre air concourse. It will have an additional 6-metre wide pedestrian overbridge for seamless movement of passengers.

The official said platform extension work was in progress along with overhead equipment (OHE) modification at the station. Yard remodelling would be carried out for increasing the length of the existing platforms to accommodate express trains in all platforms in future.

The station will have segregated departure and arrival areas for better regulation and seamless movement of passengers besides provision of escalators, retiring rooms, waiting halls, air-conditioned lounges, parking lot, food plaza, and commercial stalls under the redevelopment plan.

Plans were afoot to develop the second entry of Kumbakonam station with additional amenities, including ticket counters and waiting halls.  Sanction has been accorded to shift the goods shed at Kumbakonam to Tirunageswaram to ease traffic congestion for which the work would commence. The station would have six platforms from the present four platforms.

The official said the entire project was expected to be completed by December 2027 taking into consideration the Mahamaham festival which is scheduled to be held in this temple town from February 29 to March 9, 2028.