Railway projects worth more than Rs. 200 bn are under execution in Kerala, with the state preparing for further capacity expansion and network development. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the ongoing programme includes nine multitracking and new-line projects, 145 flyovers and underpasses, and 19 station redevelopment projects.

Detailed project reports are being prepared for more than 800 km of third- and fourth-line augmentation across six sections. The planned corridors are Shoranur-Coimbatore, Mangaluru-Shoranur, Shoranur-Ernakulam, Ernakulam-Kayankulam, Kayankulam-Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil, covering between 71 km and 307 km each.

Sanctioned works include the 116-km Angamali-Sabarimala new line, costing Rs. 38.01 bn, and the 87-km Trivandrum-Kanyakumari doubling project, estimated at Rs. 45.09 bn. Other projects include doubling between Ernakulam and Kumbalam, Kumbalam and Thuravur, Thuravur and Mararikulam, Alappuzha and Ambalapuzha, and Mararikulam and Alappuzha, along with new lines connecting Tirunnavaya with Guruvayur.

Vaishnaw said Kerala’s network had been fully electrified and that six major doubling and gauge-conversion projects covering 670 km had been completed since 2014 at a combined cost of Rs. 43.16 bn. A further Rs. 47.86 bn is being spent on 145 road overbridges and underbridges, although 52 projects are delayed because of land acquisition, alignment finalisation and pending appointment of agencies.

Land acquisition remains a major constraint. Of the 618 hectares required for major railway projects, 78 hectares, or 13 per cent, has been acquired, while Rs. 19.76 bn has been deposited with the Kerala government. Separately, 35 stations are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at Rs. 31.11 bn, with work completed at 16 stations. The Centre’s railway allocation for Kerala has increased to Rs. 37.95 bn in 2026-27 from Rs. 3.72 bn in 2014.