**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha regarding the status of pending railway line doubling works between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam in Kerala. As of 01.04.2025, 06 projects costing ₹9,415 crore are sanctioned. Project completion is affected by several factors, including land acquisition, forest clearance, and shifting of utilities. The response was given on 11.02.2026
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Project Status and Details:**
* Ernakulam and Kayamkulam are connected by two routes: via Kottayam (already double-line) and via Ambalapuzha (partly double-line, partly single-line).
* Status of doubling of Ernakulam to Kayamkulam via Ambalapuzha:
* Ernakulam – Kumbalam – Thuravur (23 Km): Doubling Sanctioned. Works taken up
* Thuravur – Mararikulam (21 Km): DPR prepared
* Mararikulam – Alappuzha (12 Km): Field Survey completed, DPR preparation taken up
* Alappuzha- Ambalapuzha (13 Km): DPR prepared
* Ambalapuzha-Kayamkulam (31 Km): Already double line
* As on 01.04.2025, 06 projects (02 new line and 04 doubling) of 266 km length, costing ₹9,415crore falling fully/partly in Kerala are sanctioned.
* 09 Survey projects (03 new line and 06 doubling) covering 1,124 km have been sanctioned in the last three years.
* **Budget and Expenditure:**
* Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works in Kerala has increased from ₹372 crore/year (2009-14) to ₹3,042 crore (2025-26).
* Expenditure up to March 2025 totals ₹3,250 crore for new line and doubling/multitracking projects.
* ₹1,975 crore has been deposited with the Government of Kerala for land acquisition.
* **Factors Affecting Project Completion:**
* Project sanctioning requires consultation with State Governments and approvals from NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance, etc.
* Exact timelines cannot be fixed due to the dynamic nature of project sanctioning.
* Project completion depends on land acquisition by the State Government, forest clearance, shifting of utilities, statutory clearances, and other factors.
* **Land Acquisition:**
* Total land required for projects in Kerala is 476 ha.
* 65 ha (14%) has been acquired, with 411 ha (86%) remaining to be acquired.
* Land acquisition delays are holding up execution of infrastructure projects.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Railways and Government of India**
* **Impact:** Required to address delays in project completion due to land acquisition and other factors. Also accountable for project financing and execution.
* **Action Required:** Continued monitoring of project status, addressing land acquisition issues with the State Government, ensuring timely fund allocation, and streamlining approval processes.
**Government of Kerala**
* **Impact:** Expected to facilitate land acquisition to expedite railway projects within the state.
* **Action Required:** Support to expedite land acquisition processes.
**Citizens of Kerala**
* **Impact:** Will benefit from improved rail infrastructure and connectivity once the doubling projects are completed.
* **Action Required:** No direct action required.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Railways: The central ministry responsible for the pending railway line doubling project.
Kayamkulam: One endpoint of the railway line doubling project in Kerala.
Ernakulam: The other endpoint of the railway line doubling project in Kerala.
Kerala: The state where the railway line doubling project is located; a focus of the document is delays in land acquisition and funding.
NITI Aayog: A policy think tank of the Government of India whose appraisal is required for the sanctioning of the project.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1967
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026
PENDING RAILWAY LINE DOUBLING WORKS BETWEEN KAYAMKULAM AND
ERNAKULAM IN KERALA
1967. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the present status of the pending railway line doubling works between
Kayamkulam and Ernakulam, section-wise and project-wise;
(b) the reasons for the prolonged delay in completion of the said doubling
works particularly in land acquisition, fund allocation and execution
issues;
(c) the details of the total funds sanctioned, released and utilised for the
project so far; and
(d) the details of the timeline fixed by the Government for completion of the
remaining works and the steps taken to expedite the project in view of
heavy passenger density and operational constraints on this crucial rail
corridor in Kerala?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (d): 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:
...2/-
§-2-
S.
Section Status
N
1 Ernakulam – Kumbalam – Thuravur (23 Doubling Sanctioned.
Km) Works 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) DPR prepared
5 Ambalapuzha-Kayamkulam (31 Km) Already double line
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 ₹9,415crore falling fully/partly in Kerala are sanctioned. The
summary is as under:-
…3/--3-
Category No. of Total Length Balance Expenditure
projects Length Commissioned to upto March
complete 2025
(₹in Crore)
146 309
New line 02 0 km 146 km
km
Doubling 120 2,941
04 26 km 94 km
/multitracking km
266 3,250
Total 06 26 km 240 km
km
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 :
S. Cost
Project
N (₹ in Crores)
1 Dindigul-Pollachi-Palghat & Pollachi-Coimbatore
1,360
gauge conversion (217 km)
2 Quilon-Tirunelveli-Tiruchendur gauge conversion (357
1,122
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
Some of the other 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
...4/--4-
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
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.
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%)
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
required (in Ha) be
(in Ha) acquired
(in Ha)
1. Angamali - Sabarimala new line (111 416 24 392
km)
...5/--5-
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
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
...6/--6-
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.
*****