Even as the Kerala government has been making sincere efforts to woo investors to Kerala by rolling out the red carpet and offering land at key strategic locations, including at Vizhinjam, the State’s rail infrastructure continues to move at a snail’s pace due to severe delays in land acquisition.

According to a reply in Parliament, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that although several infrastructure projects have been taken up in Kerala to enhance the capacity of the existing railway network, including field surveys and the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) for laying third and fourth railway lines parallel to the existing double tracks in key stretches, the execution of many key sanctioned infrastructure projects, both fully and partly located in the State, has been held up due to delays in land acquisition.

The Railways require a total of 618 hectares of land in Kerala for executing various projects, including the recently revived Sabari rail project. However, the State has acquired only 78 hectares (13% of the total requirement) so far, while the remaining 540 hectares (87%) are yet to be acquired, delaying the development of the State’s rail infrastructure.

For instance, the nearly three-decade-old Angamali–Sabarimala rail line project (111 km), which was recently reactivated after the State government agreed to bear 50% of the project cost under a 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement, requires a total of 304 hectares of land. However, only 25 hectares were acquired during the initial phase of the project, while the remaining 279 hectares are yet to be acquired.

Similarly, the Ernakulam–Kumbalam patch doubling project (8 km) requires four hectares of land, of which three hectares have already been acquired, leaving one hectare pending. The Kumbalam–Turavur section doubling project (16 km) also requires 10 hectares, with nine hectares already acquired and one hectare yet to be acquired. The Shoranur–Vallathol doubling project (10 km), a critical rail corridor in central Kerala, requires five hectares of land. However, not a single hectare has been acquired so far.

According to the Railways, the completion of railway projects depends on several factors, including timely land acquisition by the State government, necessary clearances, shifting of utility lines, statutory approvals from various authorities, etc. Delays in any of these aspects affect both the completion timeline and the overall cost of the projects.

Delay in KIIFB projects

According to State government sources, the progress of projects funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) is likely to be delayed as the government has appointed a committee to examine the existing framework of KIIFB and recommend a comprehensive restructuring plan.

For instance, although the Sabari rail project was back on track after the previous government agreed to bear half of the project cost, the commencement of land acquisition will depend on the policy decisions of the new government and the progress of the proposed KIIFB restructuring.

Kerala had earlier decided to finance its ₹1,900 crore share of the Sabari rail project through the KIIFB. However, officials said that work on the remaining railway projects would continue as planned.

Published - July 25, 2026 03:59 pm IST