**Executive Summary**
This document is the response from the Minister of Railways to Unstarred Question No. 732 in Lok Sabha, concerning the Mangaluru-Shoranur 3rd & 4th Line project, to be answered on 04.02.2026. The survey for the project has been sanctioned for preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). No exact timelines can be fixed for project sanctioning due to the continuous and dynamic nature of the process.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Mangaluru-Shoranur 3rd & 4th Line Project:**
* Survey for the 307 km line has been sanctioned for DPR preparation.
* Project sanctioning requires stakeholder consultation, NITI Aayog appraisal, and Ministry of Finance approval.
* Exact timelines cannot be fixed due to the dynamic nature of project sanctioning.
* **Kerala Railway Projects and Budget Allocation:**
* Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works in Kerala has significantly increased.
* The budget for 2025-26 is ₹3,042 crore, more than 8 times the average annual allocation of ₹372 crore during 2009-14.
* As of 01.04.2025, 6 sanctioned projects (2 new line and 4 doubling) totaling 266 km, costing ₹9,415 crore, are falling fully/partly in Kerala.
* **Recently Completed Projects in Kerala (Fully/Partly):**
* Lists several recently completed projects with their costs, including Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Pollachi-Coimbatore gauge conversion (₹1,360 Crores) and Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion (₹1,122 Crores)
* Mulanturutti-Kuruppantara doubling (24 km) (₹303 Crores)
* **Ongoing and Planned Surveys:**
* Lists several surveys that have been taken up including Shoranur-Mangalore 3rd & 4th Line (307 Km) and Coimbatore-Shoranur 3rd & 4th line (99 Km).
* **Land Acquisition:**
* Execution of projects in Kerala is delayed due to land acquisition.
* 476 ha of land is required for projects in Kerala; 65 ha (14%) has been acquired, and 411 ha (86%) is yet to be acquired.
* The railway has deposited ₹1,975 crore with the Government of Kerala for land acquisition.
* **Factors Affecting Project Sanction and Completion:**
* Project sanction depends on traffic projections, connectivity, route augmentation, demands from stakeholders, and railway requirements.
* Project completion depends on land acquisition, forest clearance, utility shifting, statutory clearances, geological conditions, law and order, and the number of working months.
**Impact Analysis**
**Kerala State Government:**
* **Impact:** The Government of Kerala is a key stakeholder, particularly concerning land acquisition and project approvals.
* **Action Required:** Expedite land acquisition processes, provide necessary support and approvals for railway projects to proceed smoothly.
**Ministry of Finance & NITI Aayog:**
* **Impact:** The Ministry of Finance and NITI Aayog will have to provide the necessary approvals to progress the project.
* **Action Required:** Provide the necessary approvals once the DPR is prepared.
**Local Residents of Kerala:**
* **Impact:** Local residents in Kerala will benefit from improved connectivity and infrastructure.
* **Action Required:** None.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Railways: The primary ministry responsible for the proposed railway line project.
Mangaluru-Shoranur 3rd & 4th Line: The proposed railway line expansion project between Mangaluru and Shoranur.
Detailed Project Report (DPR): A key document required for the sanctioning of the railway line project.
NITI Aayog: An advisory body whose appraisal is required for the sanctioning of projects.
Kerala: The state where a significant portion of railway projects discussed in the document are located.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 732
TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026
MANGALURU–SHORANUR 3RD & 4TH LINE
732. SHRI SHAFI PARAMBIL:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the current status of the proposed Mangaluru–Shoranur 3rd & 4th Line;
(b) whether the Government has completed the survey of the proposed line;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) if not, the reasons therefor; and
(e) the details of the expected date/timeline for completion of the survey?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (e): Survey for Mangaluru-Shoranur 3rd and 4th line (307 km) has been
sanctioned for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR).
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
...2/--2-
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:-
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
1,360
gauge conversion (217 km)
2 Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion
1,122
(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
...3/--3-
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 (16 803
km)
5 Trivandrum- Kanyakumari doubling (87 km) 3,786
6 Shoranur - Vallathol doubling (10 km) 367
To improve connectivity and enhance the capacity in the State of Kerala,
following surveys have been taken up: -
SN Route Length (Km)
1 Shoranur-Mangalore 3rd & 4th Line 307
2 Coimbatore-Shoranur 3rd & 4th line 99
3 Shoranur – Ernakulam 3rd Line 106
4 Ernakulam - Kayankulam 3rd line 1 1 5
(via Kottayam)
5 Kayankulam-Thiruvanathapuram 3rd Line 105
6 Thiruvanathapuram-Nagercoil 3rd Line 71
Execution of important infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the
State of Kerala are held up due 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%)
...4/--4-
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 Balance
land acquired Land to be
required (in Ha) acquired
(in Ha) (in Ha)
1. Angamali - Sabarimala new line 4 1 6 24 392
(111 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
Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success
depends upon the support of Government of Kerala.
Sanction of any railway project depend 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
...5/--5-
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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