Journalism of Courage
Kerala drops SilverLine; 873 km of railway projects to boost North-South connectivity
Kerala has decided not to proceed with the proposed SilverLine semi high-speed rail corridor, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
No SilverLine for Kerala; 873 km new rail network to boost connectivity: Ashwini Vaishnaw (Image generated using AI)
SilverLine project dropped in Kerala: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said that the Kerala government has decided not to proceed with the proposed SilverLine project between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on July 31, 2026, the Union Minister said that the state government had received a letter and an interim report from Dr E Sreedharan, former Managing Director of DMRC, proposing a standard-gauge high-speed rail corridor between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.
“However, the expert committee constituted by Govt of Keralam has reviewed the the interim High Speed Rail corridor report and concluded that taken as a whole, the proposal cannot be taken forward in its present form,” he said.
North-South connectivity in Kerala
The Railway Minister further said that surveys and railway projects covering 873 km have been taken up to improve capacity and strengthen North-South rail connectivity across Kerala. He added that the additional railway lines and capacity enhancement will allow more trains to operate on the route while also reducing travel time.
Kerala Rail Line Projects: Survey Stage & Doubling Works
804 Km
Route length under DPR/survey stage (6 projects)
₹2,976 Cr
Sanctioned for doubling works (69 Km, 5 projects)
Projects Under Survey / DPR Preparation
Field Location Survey (FLS) sanctioned for preparation of DPR, by route length
Doubling Works Sanctioned
By sanctioned cost (₹ Crore)
Doubling works are contiguous, covering the Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha stretch in five sanctioned phases totalling 69 Km.
Source: Rajya Sabha
“After firming up of Detailed Project Report (DPR), sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of Finance etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines depend upon appraisals and approvals by various stakeholder,” the Union Minister said.
267 km railway line projects underway in Kerala
The Union Minister further said that 267 km of railway line projects are currently underway in the state. The details are as follows:
Kerala Ongoing Railway Projects, by Cost
₹11,271 Cr
Total sanctioned cost, 7 ongoing projects
267 Km
Total route length covered
Ongoing Projects, Ranked by Cost
Projects falling fully/partly in Kerala
New Line
Doubling
Trivandrum-Kanyakumari doubling and the Angamali-Sabarimala new line together account for over 73% of the total sanctioned cost across these 7 projects.
Source: Rajya Sabha
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