Kerala high-speed rail corridor: ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan unveils new route and travel time

Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan on Tuesday unveiled key details of the proposed Kerala high-speed rail corridor, including the revised alignment, list of stations, expected ticket fares and travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

Addressing a press conference at his newly opened office in Ponnani, Sreedharan said the updated alignment — modified from the earlier proposal — now includes Pathanamthitta district and will feature 20 stations across the 465-km corridor.

Kerala high-speed rail route and stations

The proposed high-speed rail line will originate at Thiruvananthapuram Central and pass through the following stations:

Thiruvananthapuram Airport (via tunnel), Varkala, Kollam, Kottarakkara, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Vaikom, Ernakulam, Nedumbassery, Thrissur, Pattambi, Malappuram, Karipur, Kozhikode, Koyilandy, Vadakara, Thalassery and Kannur.

Stations have been planned at intervals of 20–30 km to ensure regional connectivity. The corridor will link Kerala’s three major airports — Thiruvananthapuram, Nedumbassery (Kochi) and Kannur — significantly strengthening multimodal transport integration in the state.

A dedicated team has already been constituted to take forward the implementation of the Kerala high-speed rail project, Sreedharan said.

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Speed, travel time and operations

The project has been designed with a maximum speed of 200 kmph, while the commercial operating speed has been fixed at 140 kmph. The operational top speed is expected to be 180 kmph in select stretches.

Once operational, the Thiruvananthapuram–Kannur journey is projected to take approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes, offering a significant reduction in travel time compared with existing rail services.

Estimated cost and ticket fares

The estimated construction cost for the first phase of the Kerala high-speed rail project is pegged at ₹56,500 crore, revised downward from earlier projections.

Sreedharan said the service is expected to attract an average daily ridership of five lakh passengers.

Proposed ticket fares include:

• Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam: ₹440
• Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode: ₹640
• Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur: ₹780

He said the proposed fare structure is more affordable than the existing Vande Bharat services operating in Kerala.

Solar-powered stations planned

As part of the sustainability component, solar farms will be set up at stations to ensure energy availability for operations. The cost of generating solar power has been factored into the overall project estimate.