Sabari and Guruvayur railway lines back on track as project freeze lifted ahead of Union Budget

Kochi: The Railway Board has revoked its decision to freeze the Angamaly–Erumeli Sabari line and the Guruvayur–Thirunavaya line. The decisive move comes as the Union Budget is set to be presented on February 1. The Board’s order also directs that the project details be handed over to the state government to initiate land acquisition for the Sabari project.

Southern Railway had earlier recommended lifting the freeze on both projects.

The two projects were frozen in 2019 after construction failed to progress at the expected pace. In the years since, allocations were made for both projects in successive Union Budgets, but the funds could not be utilised as the projects remained frozen. An allocation of ₹100 crore has been made annually for the Sabari project, while ₹45 crore was earmarked for the Guruvayur–Thirunavaya line in the last Budget.

The Railways had asked Kerala to acquire and hand over land for the Sabari line. The state government, however, maintained that initiating land acquisition was difficult as the project had been kept frozen.