Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the allocation for railway development in Kerala has risen nearly tenfold, from Rs 372 crore in 2014 to Rs 3,795 crore in the 2026-27 financial year.
Vaishnaw said the higher allocation reflects a clear plan for expanding and upgrading the railway network in the southern state. He also said he discussed railway development in Kerala with Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
“We also discussed the development of the railway network in Keralam. Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji has increased the allocation for Keralam 10 times to Rs 3,795 crores in FY26-27. This amount was just Rs 372 crores in 2014. I also discussed the matter with Hon’ble CM @vdsatheesan Ji,” the minister said in an X post.
Rs 20,000 crore worth of railway projects under execution in Kerala
The minister said the rise in spending has been accompanied by expansion work across the state’s railway network. He said Kerala has achieved complete electrification, while doubling and gauge-conversion works, flyovers, underpasses and station redevelopment have also progressed over the past 12 years.
“Over the last 12 years, Keralam has seen 100 per cent electrification of its railway network, completion of doubling/gauge-conversion projects, 131 flyovers and underpasses, and redevelopment of 16 stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme,” he said.
According to Vaishnaw, projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore are currently under execution in Kerala. The ongoing work includes nine multitracking and new-line projects, 145 flyovers and underpasses, and redevelopment of 19 railway stations.
“The focus is on building greater capacity and enabling smoother, more efficient railway operations across Keralam,” he said.
Since 2014, six major doubling and gauge-conversion projects covering 670 km have been completed in the state at a combined cost of Rs 4,316 crore, the minister said.
Passenger connectivity has also expanded, with six Vande Bharat and six Amrit Bharat trains currently operating in Kerala. Vaishnaw said the state has received a total of 22 new rail services over the past two years.
Land acquisition delays major projects
The next phase of infrastructure development includes projects such as the Angamali-Sabarimala new line, Tirunnavaya-Guruvayur new line, Ernakulam-Kumbalam doubling and Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha doubling.
However, Vaishnaw said land acquisition is slowing the progress of some projects. He said the Railways requires 618 hectares of land and has already deposited Rs 1,976 crore with the state government towards acquisition.
So far, only 78 hectares have been acquired, leaving another 540 hectares to be secured, according to the minister.
He said four projects, including the 111-km Angamali-Sabarimala new line, have been delayed because of the time required for land acquisition.
At the same time, work is being taken up to address existing capacity constraints and prepare the network for future traffic growth.
“To further expand the north-south capacity through the state, survey work is under way for the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) covering more than 800 km of third- and fourth-line augmentation across six sections,” he said.
The Railways is also constructing 145 Road Over Bridges and Road Under Bridges in Kerala at a cost of Rs 4,786 crore.
Station redevelopment remains another part of the expansion plan. Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 35 stations are being redeveloped at a total cost of Rs 3,111 crore. The list includes Thiruvananthapuram, Neyyattinkara, Varkala, Punalur, Kollam Junction, Alappuzha, Kayankulam Junction, Ernakulam and Ernakulam Town.
Work has already been completed at 16 of these stations, Vaishnaw said.