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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1705
ANSWERED ON 13.02.2026
DOUBLING AND CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT WORKS OF RAILWAY TRACKS IN
KERALA
1705 DR. V. SIVADASAN:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the present status of doubling and capacity enhancement works on the Kasaragod– Mangaluru,
Shoranur–Ernakulam, and Ernakulam–Kayamkulam railway sections in Kerala;
(b) the section-wise timelines fixed for completion of these works, along with the year of sanction and
original target dates;
(c) the reasons for delay, if any, in each of the above sections; and
(d) the steps taken or proposed to be taken to ensure time-bound completion of these projects,
considering the severe congestion on Kerala’s railway network?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (d): Kasaragod–Mangaluru and Shoranur–Ernakulam are already a double line section.
Ernakulam and Kayamkulam are connected through two routes, first via Kottayam and second via
Ambalapuzha.
The first route via Kottayam is already a double-line section. While the second route via Ambalapuzha
is partly double line and partly single line at present. The status of doubling of Ernakulam to
Kayamkulam via Ambalapuzha is tabulated below:
S.N Section Status
1 Doubling Sanctioned.
Ernakulam – Kumbalam – Thuravur (23 Km)
Work taken up
2 Thuravur – Mararikulam (21 Km) DPR prepared
3 Field Survey completed.
Mararikulam – Alappuzha (12 Km)
DPR preparation taken up
4 Alappuzha- Ambalapuzha (13 Km) Work sanctioned recently
5 Ambalapuzha-Kayamkulam (31 Km) Already double line
Execution of important infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the State of Kerala are held up due
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to delay in land acquisition. Status of land acquisition in the State of Kerala is as under:
Total Land required for Projects in Kerala 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 Kerala. Support of the
Government of Kerala is needed to expedite the land acquisition. For instance, details of some major
projects which are delayed due to land acquisition are as under:-
SN Name of the project Total land Land Balance
required acquired Land to be
(in Ha) (in Ha) 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
Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success depends upon the support of
Government of Kerala.
After preparation 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.
Kerala:-
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly. Budget allocation for infrastructure
projects and safety works, falling fully/partly in the State of Kerala is as under:-
Period Outlay
2009-14 ₹ 372 crore/year
2025-26 ₹3,042 crore (more than 8 times)
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 Kerala are sanctioned. The summary is as under:-
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Category No. of Total Length Balance Expenditure
projects Length Commissioned to upto March
complete 2025
(₹in Crore)
New line 02 146 km 0 km 146 km 309
Doubling 2,941
04 120 km 26 km 94 km
/multitracking
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.
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in Kerala are as under :
Cost
S.N Project
(₹ in Crores)
1 Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Pollachi-Coimbatore gauge conversion (217
1,360
km)
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
Some of the projects falling fully/partly in Kerala which have been taken up are as under:
Cost
S No. Project
(₹ 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
In last three years (i.e. 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-25 and current financial year i.e. 2025-26), total 09
Nos. of Surveys (03 new line and 06 doubling) falling fully/partly in the State of Kerala having a total
length of 1,124 km have been sanctioned and survey work has been taken up.
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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 depends on various factors which include the following:
Land acquisition by State Government
Forest clearance
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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