The 111-km Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line has received a fresh push after the Kerala government began land acquisition for the long-pending project, with the Centre allocating Rs 505 crore for its implementation in 2026-27, The Indian Express reported on Sunday.
The long-delayed Angamaly-Sabarimala railway project moved forward after the Kerala government initiated land acquisition proceedings for the proposed new rail line, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha.
The development could provide a major boost to rail connectivity to the Sabarimala pilgrimage region and improve transport links across central Kerala.
Kerala begins land acquisition
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on July 22, Vaishnaw reportedly said the project had gained momentum after the Kerala government began the land acquisition process at the request of the Centre.
“Now, on the request of the Government of India, the Government of Kerala has initiated land acquisition proceedings and the Angamaly-Sabarimala new line project has moved forward,” The Indian Express quoted Vaishnaw as saying.
The report further stated that the Ministry of Railways was closely following up with the Kerala government on the acquisition process. In the financial year 2026-27, the Railways has allocated Rs 505 crore to support the project.
111-km line has faced delays for decades
In 1997-98, the Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line, also known as the Sabari railway project, was approved. The proposed line will run for approximately 111 km from Angamaly to Sabarimala via Erumeli.
However, the project faced repeated delays due to opposition to land acquisition and disputes over the proposed alignment. Court cases and what the Centre described as inadequate support from the Kerala government also slowed its progress.
Work on the 7-km Angamaly-Kaladi section and long-lead works for the 10-km Kaladi-Perumbavoor section had been initiated earlier, but the broader project failed to progress as planned.
302 hectares required for project
The Indian Express reported that the project requires approximately 302 hectares of land. So far, only around 25 hectares have been acquired, leaving approximately 279 hectares still to be acquired. Therefore, the pace of land acquisition is expected to remain crucial to the project’s implementation.
The updated estimated cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 3,801 crore. The estimate was submitted to the Kerala government for approval and for confirmation of its willingness to share the project cost.
Centre and Kerala differ over cost-sharing
According to Vaishnaw, the Kerala government gave its conditional consent to the project in August 2024. The Ministry of Railways subsequently asked the state government to provide unconditional consent for sharing the cost of the project.
The minister said he had also requested the Kerala Chief Minister to undertake land acquisition using the state’s share of 50% of the project cost. The latest move to begin land acquisition is expected to address one of the biggest hurdles that has held up the project for years.
14 stations planned along the route
The proposed railway line will connect several towns and pilgrimage-linked areas in central Kerala. The planned stations are Angamaly, Kalady, Perumbavoor, Odakkali, Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Vazhakulam, Thodupuzha, Karimkunnam, Ramapuram, Bharananganam, Chemmalamattom, Kanjirappally and Erumeli.
