Kerala's rail aspirations remain on hold with high-speed corridor off the Centre's agenda

New Delhi: The Centre is moving ahead with surveys and detailed project reports (DPRs) for third and fourth railway lines across key stretches in Kerala instead of a proposed high-speed rail corridor between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha.

The proposed works cover the Mangaluru-Shoranur, Shoranur-Ernakulam, Ernakulam-Kayamkulam and Kayamkulam-Thiruvananthapuram sections. Surveys and preparation of DPRs are currently underway.

E. Sreedharan (Metroman) had submitted an interim report and a letter proposing a standard-gauge high-speed rail corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur. However, an expert committee appointed by the Kerala government examined the proposal and concluded that the project could not proceed in its present form.

The development effectively leaves both the SilverLine project and Sreedharan's high-speed rail proposal without a path forward.

CPM MP John Brittas also sought clarification on the Railway Minister's earlier statement that travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod could be reduced to four hours. However, the Centre did not provide details on the project's cost, land acquisition requirements or implementation timeline.

Instead, the government said additional railway lines would allow more trains to operate and help reduce travel time.

The minister said most of Kerala's proposed third and fourth line projects remain at the field location survey or DPR preparation stage.

He added that project approvals require completion of several procedures, including preparation of DPRs, consultations with the Kerala government, recommendations from NITI Aayog and clearance from the Ministry of Finance. As these processes are still pending, no completion timeline can be announced.

The minister also provided an update on railway infrastructure projects in the state. Of the nine sanctioned railway projects in Kerala covering a total of 302 km, only 40 km had been completed by March.

None of the 148 km of sanctioned new railway line projects has been commissioned so far. Against a total project cost of ₹11,650 crore, expenditure stands at ₹3,867 crore.

On the Kanjikode coach factory project, the minister did not state that it had been officially scrapped. However, he also gave no assurance or timeline for reviving it. The Centre maintained that, considering the Railways' current requirements, there is no need to establish a new coach factory.