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Why South Western Railway has scrapped 87-km Mysuru–Kushalnagar line

The Mysuru–Kushalnagar railway line was initially estimated to cost Rs 1,800 crore, but faced rising costs and local opposition related to land acquisition and environmental concerns.

2 min readBengaluruJan 20, 2026 03:55 PM IST

Officials said the project will not proceed due to inadequate expected passenger and freight traffic. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

South Western Railway (SWR) officials confirmed Tuesday that the proposed Mysuru–Kushalnagar railway line has been abandoned despite completion of the final location survey (FLS), citing poor financial viability and insufficient traffic potential.

SWR officials said the project will not proceed due to inadequate expected passenger and freight traffic. “The project was cancelled after assessments indicated that traffic on this route would be minimal, leading to negative returns,” said an official.

The 87-km Mysuru–Kushalnagar railway line was sanctioned in 2018-19, with the FLS tender awarded in June 2022. The line would have required the acquisition of nearly 1,379 acres of land. Initially estimated at Rs 1,800 crore, the projected cost had risen significantly since approval. Financial evaluations revealed that both proposed lines showed negative returns on investment.

Originally conceived to provide rail connectivity to the Kodagu district, the project encountered strong local opposition. Residents and environmentalists raised concerns about land acquisition and environmental damage, creating substantial resistance to the initiative.

In June 2025, V Somanna, Minister of State for Railways, indicated that Karnataka was not interested in pursuing the Mysuru–Kushalnagar line. He had earlier confirmed that Karnataka formally communicated to the Ministry of Railways its lack of interest in both the Mysuru–Kushalnagar and Hejjala–Chamarajanagar railway projects.

The SWR official said that while the FLS was complete and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was being prepared, progress depended entirely on the state government acquiring and transferring land to the Railways free of cost, an unlikely scenario given the opposition.

On the other hand, the Mysuru-Kushalnagar access-controlled greenfield expressway is already underway, and it is likely to be completed by March 2027. The project cost is estimated to be Rs 4,128 crore. The expressway, which will begin at Paschima Vahini near Srirangapatna, will also cater to those travelling from Bengaluru, bypassing Mysuru to reach Kushalnagar.

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