Lok Sabha Question No. 6092 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: High-Speed/Semi High-Speed Rail Network in Kerala
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Kodikunnil Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6092

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## HIGH SPEED/SEMI HIGH-SPEED RAIL NETWORK IN KERALA

## 6092. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to develop a high-speed or semi highspeed rail network in the State of Kerala;
- (b) if so, the details of the proposals examined for such projects, including the corridors identified, estimated cost and present status;
- (c)  whether  the  implementation/feasibility  study/planning  of  any  such project has been entrusted to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation or the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited or any others and  if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  issued  any  formal  authorization  or advisory  role  to  any  previously  served  Managing  Director  of  DMRC  in relation to planning, feasibility studies or implementation of high-speed or semi high-speed rail projects in Kerala; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof including the current status of such engagement or consultation?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

- (a) to (e): Increasing Railway Network in Keralam:-

To  augment  &  improve  the  railway  network  in  Keralam,  the  following surveys  have  been  sanctioned  for  preparation  of  Detailed  Project  Report (DPR) by Indian Railways:-

|   S. No. | Route                             |   Length (Km) |
|----------|-----------------------------------|---------------|
|        1 | Shoranur-Mangalore 3rd & 4th Line |           307 |

§

|   2 | Coimbatore-Shoranur 3 rd & 4 th line          |   99 |
|-----|-----------------------------------------------|------|
|   3 | Shoranur - Ernakulam 3 rd Line                |  106 |
|   4 | Ernakulam-Kayankulam 3 rd line (via Kottayam) |  115 |
|   5 | Kayankulam-Thiruvanathapuram 3 rd Line        |  105 |
|   6 | Thiruvanathapuram-Nagercoil 3 rd Line         |   71 |
|   7 | Mararikulam - Alappuzha Doubling              |   13 |

After  firming  up  of  Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR),  sanctioning  of  project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments  and  necessary  approvals  viz.  appraisal  of  NITI  Aayog, Ministry  of  Finance  etc.  As  sanctioning  of  projects  is  a  continuous  and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.

## Keralam Railway Budget:-

Budget allocation in  the  recent  years  has  increased  significantly.  Budget allocation  for  infrastructure projects    and    safety    works,    falling fully/partly  in  the  State  of  Keralam is as under:-

| Period   | Outlay                           |
|----------|----------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹ 372 crore/year                 |
| 2025-26  | ₹3,042 crore (more than 8 times) |

Projects Sanctioned:-

As  on  01.04.2025,  06  projects  (02  new  line  and  04  doubling)  of  266  km length, costing ₹9,415 crore falling fully/partly in Keralam are sanctioned. The summary is as under:-

| Category                 |   No. of projects | Total Length   | Length Commissioned   | Balance to complete   | Expenditure upto March 2025 ( ₹ in Crore)   |
|--------------------------|-------------------|----------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| New line                 |                02 | 146 km         | 0 km                  | 146 km                | 309                                         |
| Doubling / multitracking |                04 | 120 km         | 26 km                 | 94 km                 | 2,941                                       |
| Total                    |                06 | 266 km         | 26 km                 | 240 km                | 3,250                                       |

Zonal Railway wise details of Railway projects are made available in public domain on Indian Railway's website.

Recently Completed Projects:-

Details  of  some  of  the  recently  completed  projects  falling  fully/partly  in Keralam are as under:

|   S. No. | Project                                                                   | Cost (₹ in Crores)   |
|----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|
|        1 | Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Pollachi-Coimbatore gauge conversion (217 km) | 1,360                |
|        2 | Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion (357 km)                  | 1,122                |
|        3 | Mulanturutti-Kuruppantara doubling (24 km)                                | 303                  |
|        4 | Chenganur-Chingavanam doubling (27 km)                                    | 436                  |
|        5 | Ambalapuzha-Haripad doubling (18 km)                                      | 346                  |
|        6 | Kurruppanthara-Chingavanam doubling (27 km)                               | 749                  |

Ongoing Projects:-

Some of the projects falling fully/partly in Keralam which have been taken up are as under:-

|   S. No. | Project                                  | Cost (₹ in Crores)   |
|----------|------------------------------------------|----------------------|
|        1 | Tirunnavaya -Guruvayur new line (35 Km)  | 138                  |
|        2 | Angamali-Sabarimala new line (111 km)    | 3,801                |
|        3 | Ernakulam-Kumbalam doubling (8 km)       | 595                  |
|        4 | Kumbalam-Thuravur Patch doubling (16 km) | 803                  |
|        5 | Trivandrum- Kanyakumari doubling (87 km) | 3,786                |
|        6 | Shoranur - Vallathol doubling (10 km)    | 367                  |
|        7 | Palakkad Town - Parli bypass line (2 Km) | 164                  |
|        8 | Alappuzha- Ambalapuzha doubling (13 Km)  | 324                  |
|        9 | Turavur - Mararikulam doubling (21 km)   | 451                  |

Execution  of  important  infrastructure  projects  falling  fully/partly  in  the State of Keralam are held up due to delay in land acquisition. Status of land acquisition in the State of Keralam is as under:

| Total Land required for Projects in Keralam   | 476 ha       |
|-----------------------------------------------|--------------|
| Land Acquired                                 | 65 ha (14%)  |
| Balance Land to be acquired                   | 411 ha (86%) |

Railway had deposited ₹1,975 crore for land acquisition to Government of Keralam.  Support of the Government of Keralam is needed to expedite the land  acquisition.  For  instance,  details  of  some  major  projects  which  are delayed due to land acquisition are as under:-

|   S. No. | Name of the project                      |   Total land required (in Ha) |   Land acquired (in Ha) |   Balance Land to be acquired (in Ha) |
|----------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------------------|
|        1 | Angamali - Sabarimala new line (111 km)  |                           416 |                      24 |                                   392 |
|        2 | Ernakulam-Kumbalam Patch doubling (8 km) |                             4 |                       3 |                                     1 |
|        3 | Kumbalam-Turavur Patch doubling (16 km)  |                            10 |                       9 |                                     1 |
|        4 | Shoranur - Vallathol doubling (10 km)    |                             5 |                       0 |                                     5 |

ROBs/RUBs in Keralam:-

To  improve  safety  in  train  operations  and  mobility  for  road  users,  Indian Railways  have  taken  up  construction  of  Road  Over  Bridges  (ROBs)/  Road Under Bridges (RUBs) across tracks in accelerated manner.

The number of ROBs/RUBs constructed across tracks on Indian Railways during the period 2004-14 vis a vis 2014-26 (upto Jan'26) is as under:

| Period                | ROBs/RUBs constructed                           |
|-----------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| 2004-14               | 4,148 Nos.                                      |
| 2014-26 (upto Jan'26) | 14,024 Nos. (including 121 Nos. In the State of |
|                       | Keralam)                                        |

As on 01.02.2026, 138 Nos. Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges (ROBs/ RUBs) across railways tracks have been sanctioned at the cost of ₹ 4,835 crore in the State of Keralam which are at various stages of planning and execution.  Out  of  these,  106  Nos.  ROBs/RUBs  are  delayed  on  account  of the State Govt.  The details are as under:

|   S. No. | Reason                                   |   ROBs/RUBs (in No.) |
|----------|------------------------------------------|----------------------|
|        1 | Delay in Land Acquisition by State Govt. |                   38 |

|   2. | Finalization of Alignment by State Govt.     |
|------|----------------------------------------------|
|    3 | Law & order/ Public Protest/Court cases etc. |
|    4 | Agency yet to be fixed                       |

Government  of  India  is  geared  up  to  execute  projects,  however  success depends upon the support of Government of Keralam.

Sanctioning of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors which include the following:

-  Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the proposed route
-  First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
-  Connection of missing links and providing additional route
-  Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
-  Demands  raised  by  State  Governments/Central  Ministries/Public representatives
-  Railway's own operational requirements
-  Socio-economic considerations
-  Overall availability of funds

Completion of Railway project/s including ROBs/RUBs depends on various factors which include the following:

-  Land acquisition by State Government
-  Forest clearance
-  State  Governments'  consent  for  closure  of  LC,  fixing  of  approach alignment and approval of General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) for ROBs/RUBs
-  Removal of encroachments
-  Shifting of infringing utilities
-  Statutory clearances from various authorities
-  Geological and topographical conditions of area
-  Law and order situation in the area of project site
-  Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.

All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.

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