Parliament Question: SilverLine Project

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2966 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.08.2026 SILVERLINE PROJECT 2966. DR. SHASHI THAROOR: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has undertaken any review of the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the SilverLine project by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) after finding that it required revision to conform to the technical standards prescribed by Indian Railways and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of the expenditure incurred by KRDCL on the preparation of the SilverLine DPR and related preliminary activities including surveys, consultancy, administrative expenses and boundary demarcation; (c) whether such expenditure is proposed to be utilised for any revised project and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and (d) whether any meetings or consultations have been held between the Ministry of Railways, KRDCL and the State Government of Kerala after advising revision of the SilverLine DPR and if so, the dates, participants and outcomes thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (d): Silver Line Semi High Speed Rail from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in Kerala had been identified by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), a Joint Venture company of State Government of Kerala (51%) and Ministry of Railways (49%) for development. After survey, KRDCL had submitted Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Project to the Ministry of Railways for approval. The proposed § Page 1 of 5alignment was running parallel to and in close proximity to Indian Railway (IR) lines. There were many deficiencies in the DPR. Therefore, KRDCL was advised by Southern Railway to address those deficiencies and prepare revised DPR. Recently, Government of Keralam has decided not to proceed with Silver Line (Semi High speed rail corridor) between Thiruvananthapuram – Kasaragod. 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 2026-27 ₹3,795 crore (more than 10 times) Projects Sanctioned: As on 01.04.2026, 09 projects (03 new line and 06 doubling) of 302 km length, costing ₹11,650 crore falling fully/partly in Keralam are sanctioned. The summary is as under:- Category No. of Total Length Total Expenditure projects Length Commissioned upto March, 2026 (in Km) upto March, 2026 (₹ in Cr.) (in Km) New line 03 148 0 317 Doubling 06 154 40 3,550 /multitracking Total 09 302 40 3,867 Page 2 of 5Recently Completed Projects: Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in the State of Keralam are as under: S. Project Cost No. (₹ in Crores) 1 Dindigul - Palghat & Pollachi - Coimbatore gauge 1,360 conversion (217 km) 2 Quilon- 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 the State of Keralam which have been taken up are as under: S.No. Project Cost (₹ in Crores) 1 Angamali-Sabarimala new line (111 km) 3,801 2 Ernakulam-Kumbalam doubling (8 km) 808 3 Kumbalam - Thuravur doubling (16 km) 1,172 4 Trivandrum- Kanyakumari doubling (87 km) 4,494 5 Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha doubling (13 km) 324 6 Turavur - Mararikulam doubling (21 km) 451 7 Mararikulam-Alappuzha doubling (11 km) 221 In last three years i.e. 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26 and current financial year 2026-27, 09 surveys (02 new line and 07 doubling) covering a total length of 1,138 km falling fully/partly in the State of Keralam has been sanctioned. Page 3 of 5Execution 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 618 ha Land Acquired 78 ha (13%) Balance Land to be acquired 540 ha (87%) Railway had deposited ₹1,976 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: 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 3 0 4 25 279 (111 km) 2. Ernakulam – Kumbalam Patch 4 3 1 doubling (8 km) 3. Kumbalam–Turavur Patch doubling(16 10 9 1 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 Keralam. Sanction 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 Page 4 of 5 Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives  Railway’s own operational requirements  Socio-economic considerations  Overall availability of funds Railway Infrastructure projects enable socio-economic development of the region including:  Better integration of the region with other parts of the country  Faster movement of goods and services  Improving logistics efficiency  Enhance line capacity  Increase in direct and indirect employment opportunities for the people of the region  Reduces operational bottlenecks  Development of tourism industry and increase in industrial activities in the region. 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. ***** Page 5 of 5