On January 15, 2025, the Railway Ministry issued a clarification regarding comments made by Railway Minister Ashwani Kumar at a press event in Chennai on January 10. The clarification followed confusion created when Tamil Nadu Transport Minister SS Sivasankar denied claims that the state government opposed the Madurai-Tuticorin railway project.

According to the ministry, the confusion arose due to background noise during the press interaction. When questioned about the Madurai-Tuticorin railway line, the minister mistakenly responded about the Dhanushkodi project instead.

The Railway Ministry clarified that the Tamil Nadu government has no objections regarding the Madurai-Tuticorin project, and the earlier remarks regarding land concerns were related to the Dhanushkodi project.