Parliament Question: High-Speed/Semi High-Speed Rail Network in Kerala

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 high- speed 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 Page 1 of 5 §2 Coimbatore-Shoranur 3rd & 4th line 99 3 Shoranur – Ernakulam 3rd Line 106 4 Ernakulam-Kayankulam 3rd line (via 115 Kottayam) 5 Kayankulam-Thiruvanathapuram 3rd Line 105 6 Thiruvanathapuram-Nagercoil 3rd 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 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 / 04 120 km 26 km 94 km 2,941 multitracking Total 06 266 km 26 km 240 km 3,250 Page 2 of 5Zonal 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. Project Cost (₹ in Crores) No. 1. Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Pollachi-Coimbatore 1,360 gauge conversion (217 km) 2. Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge 1,122 conversion (357 km) 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%) Page 3 of 5Railway 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. Name of the project Total Land Balance No. land acquired Land to be required (in Ha) acquired (in Ha) (in Ha) 1. Angamali - Sabarimala new line (111 416 24 392 km) 2. Ernakulam-Kumbalam Patch 4 3 1 doubling (8 km) 3. Kumbalam-Turavur Patch doubling 10 9 1 (16 km) 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 14,024 Nos. (including 121 Nos. In the State of Jan’26) 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 Page 4 of 52. Finalization of Alignment by State Govt. 63 3. Law & order/ Public Protest/Court cases etc. 2 4. Agency yet to be fixed 3 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. ***** Page 5 of 5