4 min readThiruvanananthapuramUpdated: May 21, 2026 09:52 AM IST
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) cabinet on Wednesday decided to denotify the semi-high speed rail project, SilverLine, mooted by the previous Left government. Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the government was not opposed to the high-speed rail project, but that it was “an environmental disaster and financially unviable”.
“UDF had studied the project and found there was not even a detailed project report. The land acquired by the government was not denotified. This has caused problems for the people living in the project area,” he said. “During monsoons, it would have turned into an environmental disaster. It was not a sustainable project.”
The Rs 64,000-crore SilverLine project was envisaged to run between the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, and the northern-most district, Kasaragod, to reduce the existing travel time in the stretch from 12 hours to four hours. A high-speed transport system has long been a crucial need for the state, given its geography and population density.
Here is a look at the project and its journey to denotification.
The project
The project was slated to be executed by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd., or K-Rail, a joint venture company registered by the State Government of Kerala and Indian Railways in a 51:49 equity partnership. K-Rail was specifically formed to develop railway infrastructure in Kerala. In 2021, the state cabinet gave sanction for the project and a token allocation of Rs 2,000 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.
Map of proposed Kerala Silverline project
The 530 km standard-gauge line was planned to run parallel to the existing railway line and mostly on earthen embankments. The trains were expected to run at a maximum speed of 200 km, and a nine-car rake would carry 675 passengers in two classes. The stretch would have 11 stations en route.
Opposition to the project
For the project, 1,383 hectares would have to be acquired for the railway line, including 1,198 hectares from private parties. Widespread protests erupted across the state, with the support of the Congress and the BJP, with critics raising concerns about the large-scale displacement of families and potential environmental damage resulting from the project.
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Activists claimed that the proposed alignment would cut through wetlands, paddy fields and ecologically sensitive zones, while opposition leaders at the time warned of potential financial losses. The Railways concurred with the latter view, questioning its viability in Kerala, where the six-lane NH development is underway. It ultimately did not give its sanction for the project, saying the proposed project would affect the expansion plans of the existing railway tracks.
CM Satheesan justified the denotification, saying the project was abandoned and no transactions could be carried out regarding the lands notified for acquisition. The state had abandoned the project, while the Centre did not give its approval, he added.
The Railways’ stance
The Railways withheld its approval of the project, saying it would affect the expansion plans of the existing railway tracks. It questioned SilverLine’s viability in Kerala, where the six-lane NH development is underway, and held the view that it would turn into a financial liability for the undertaking. Subsequently, the social impact assessment survey for land acquisition for the SilverLine was suspended.
With SilverLine in limbo, the LDF government in January 2026 gave an in-principle approval for a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) as a practical and suitable alternative for Kerala. Noting the success of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS, the previous government said an MoU would be signed with the Centre once it gave its in-principle approval for the project.
Map of proposed Kerala Silverline project