The Southern Railway has formally opened a subway to replace the existing manned railway level crossing (LC-47) at Lallikuppam village near Ranipet town on Thursday, bringing relief to hundreds of motorists.

Southern Railway officials said that the subway, built at a cost of ₹6 crores, was proposed nearly two decades ago to ease traffic flow on the route. The work was taken up at a faster pace since the project was revived in 2024.

Railway officials said that prior to the new subway, motorists, mostly two-wheelers, were using only a narrow British-era culvert meant to prevent water logging on the track during monsoon. Other vehicles, including ambulances, had to use the existing road overbridge, around six kms away from the new subway to reach surrounding towns.

Tucked between Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-48) and the Palar river, the new subway will help to connect surrounding farming villages with key towns as Tiruttani, Sholinghur, Walajah, Ranipet, Katpadi, Vellore, and Chittoor.

As per design, the two-lane subway is 240 metres long and 4.5 metres wide. The height of the facility is four metres. It allows all vehicles including buses and lorries to use the facility. The new subway also has 10 LED street lights. Storm water drains have been provided to prevent waterlogging during monsoon. Reflectors and warning signages were also part of the facility to ensure safety of motorists.

Railway officials said that the new subway was mainly aimed to prevent traffic congestion at the narrow culvert that existed earlier. It will also help to prevent accidents especially during night.

“The new subway will end a detour of at least 5-6 kms from surrounding villages to reach Ranipet town, hospitals, and government offices. Ambulances can reach the needy on time,” said R. Vembuli, a motorist.

With the opening of the subway, residents have requested transport authorities for resumption of buses to the village.

As per norms, the narrow subway should be widened at least 12 metres to accommodate the existing traffic flow on the route. Around 20 metres of railway land is required for the expansion of the subway. The work is expected to cost ₹4 crores.