Indian Railways has approved the doubling of the 10.65 km Mararikulam - Alappuzha section of Southern Railway at a sanctioned cost of Rs 2,205.1 million (mn).

The decision forms part of umbrella works for doubling, tripling, quadrupling, flyover and bypass projects aimed at augmenting capacity across the network. The section is currently the only remaining single-line stretch on the Ernakulam - Turavur - Alappuzha - Ambalapuzha - Kayankulam corridor and sits within a corridor where other doubling works have been commissioned or are under implementation.

On completion the doubling is expected to facilitate operation of nine additional passenger trains in each direction per day and to support freight traffic of 2.88 million (mn) tonne (t) per annum. The work is projected to generate additional net earnings of about Rs 30.8 mn annually through increased passenger and freight movement. Planners also anticipate reduced detention of services, faster transit times and smoother operations for both local and long-distance services.

The proposal has been identified under Mission 3000 MT and the High Density Traffic Network Corridor of Indian Railways and has shown strong economic viability. Financial internal rate of return is 3.99 per cent and economic internal rate of return is 22.30 per cent, reinforcing the case for investment. The approval reaffirms Indian Railways' commitment to expanding capacity, improving operational efficiency and supporting the socio-economic development of Keralam through modern infrastructure, and implementation will be planned to minimise disruption during execution.