Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government has formally written to the Railway Board requesting permission to conduct feasibility studies for two high-speed bullet train corridors connecting to Kerala. The proposed routes would run from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram via Tiruchirappalli and Nagercoil, and from Chennai to Ernakulam via Salem and Coimbatore.

Tamil Nadu’s initiative comes as the Central Government plans to establish high-speed rail corridors linking major Indian cities, modelled on the ongoing Ahmedabad–Mumbai bullet train project.

While the Centre previously proposed high-speed lines from Chennai to Hyderabad and Mysuru in the last budget, Tamil Nadu is now urging the exploration of extensions to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. In addition, the state has requested that the East Coast Dedicated Freight Corridor be extended from Vijayawada to include Chennai, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari.

Interestingly, a proposal for a bullet train line from Chennai to Thiruvananthapuram via Kochi was originally featured in the 2010 Railway Budget. That project was one of six high-speed routes envisioned in the "Vision 2020" action plan introduced by the Railways in 2009. However, the subsequent NDA government prioritised the Mumbai–Ahmedabad route for the nation’s first bullet train.

Even as further routes were announced this year, Kerala had initially been excluded from the list until this new push from Tamil Nadu.