Railway Budget: Rs 1,085 crore allotted for Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: A sum of Rs 1,085 crore has been allotted for the development of the railway in the state. However, the Union Budget 2022 did not approve any new projects in Kerala. The money allocated will be utilised on the existing ones. A large share of this is earmarked for the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari and Kottayam-Ernakulam tracks.

Last year, the state was allotted Rs 871 crore. Southern Railway General Manager AK Agarwal said that eight projects cost Rs 9,489 crore are underway in Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari (86.56 km) - Rs 393.5 crore, Kuruppanthara-Chingavanam (26.54 km) - Rs 50.94 crore, Chengannur-Chingavanam (26.5 km) - Rs 11.99 crore, and Ambalappuzha-Harippad (18.13 km) - Rs 10.16 crore. An amount of Rs 10 crore has been allotted for the Kollam-Tirunelveli gauge change as well.

Funds have also been allocated for the electrification of four tracks. They are Muthalamada-Palakkad- Rs 12.42 crore, Shornur-Nilambur- Rs 47.73 crore, Kollam-Punalur-Rs 20.07 crore and Aryankavu-Punalur- Rs 18.90 crore. An amount of Rs 8 crore has been sanctioned for the safety-related works of the tracks and Rs 29.2 crore for modifying the signal.

Also, funds have been allotted for improving the facilities including the installation of lifts for passengers at about 30 stations. Funds for developing the terminal at Kochuveli in Thiruvananthapuram has also been allotted. A total of Rs 7,134 crore has been allotted to the Southern Railway in the Union Budget.