Railways follows up with Kerala on Angamali–Sabarimala new line project; land acquisition process begins

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The Ministry of Railways is actively following up with the Government of Kerala on the land acquisition process for the long-pending Angamali–Sabarimala new railway line project, informed Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw to Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday.

The Angamali–Sabarimala railway line through Erumeli project was approved in 1997–98, with the cost to be shared equally by the central and state governments. However, the project was delayed for many years because of protests about land acquisition, route disagreements, court cases, and lack of enough support from the state government. Because of these problems, the project was officially put on hold in September 2019.

The project’s estimated cost has since been revised to ₹3,801 crore and submitted to the Kerala government for acceptance and cost-sharing approval. In August 2024, the state government conveyed conditional consent, following which the Railways sought unconditional approval. Subsequently, the Railway Minister requested the Kerala Chief Minister to initiate land acquisition using the state’s share of project costs.

On the request of the Ministry of Railways, the Kerala government has now initiated land acquisition proceedings, allowing the Angamali-Sabarimala project to move forward. The Railways said it is closely monitoring and following up on the process with the state government.

To provide rail connectivity to the Sabarimala shrine, an alternative alignment – Chengannur-Pamba new line (75 km) – was also surveyed earlier, but it was found to be not possible.

The minister also highlighted improvements in rail connectivity for Tirur in Kerala, which is currently served by 90 train services, connecting it to major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.

Among key services, the Mangaluru Central–Thiruvananthapuram Central Vande Bharat Express operates through Tirur. In addition, stoppage for the Hisar–Coimbatore Express has been provided at Tirur from January 28, 2026, while the Nagercoil–Mangaluru Junction Amrit Bharat Express, with a scheduled halt at Tirur, was introduced from January 27, 2026.

The Railways clarified that the provision of train stoppages depends on traffic justification, operational feasibility, availability of sectional time, and supporting infrastructure such as platform length.

The Railways said that budget funding for infrastructure and safety projects in Kerala has increased a lot. The average yearly amount during 2009–14 was ₹372 crore, but for 2025–26 it has gone up to ₹3,042 crore — more than eight times higher. This funding also covers projects like the Angamali–Sabarimala new railway line.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 1,337 railway stations have been identified for redevelopment across the country. Development works have so far been completed at 172 stations, including several in Kerala such as Chalakudi, Changanassery, Chirayinkeezh, Kuttipuram, Mahe, Shoranur Junction, Vadakara, and Wadakancheri, among others.

The minister said station redevelopment works are progressing at a good pace, aimed at improving passenger amenities and modernising railway infrastructure nationwide.

Press release here