Kerala May Soon Get Third and Fourth Railway Lines, Says Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s existing double railway track may soon be complemented by a third and fourth line, according to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The Minister conveyed this via a post on X (formerly Twitter) after a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding railway development in the state.

“The third and fourth lines from North to South Kerala are under active consideration of the Union Railway Ministry. This will enable more passengers and freight to use rail transport,” Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in his X post.

During the meeting between Chief Minister Vijayan and Ashwini Vaishnaw, discussions also encompassed the construction of new railway overbridges and underpasses in the state. The Union Minister further highlighted in his X post that Kerala’s railway budget, which averaged ₹372 crore during the previous UPA government, has been significantly increased to ₹3,042 crore for the 2025-26 financial year.

Regarding the state government’s semi-high-speed rail project, SilverLine (K-Rail), the Centre had previously indicated a lack of interest. The Union Railway Ministry had clarified that it could not approve the project put forth by K-Rail Corporation due to technical and environmental concerns. Following this, the state had requested the Centre to examine an alternative proposal submitted by E. Sreedharan.

“E. Sreedharan’s proposal was submitted to the Centre last February, but they have not yet studied it in detail. However, the Central Government has assured that a final decision on the new project proposal will be conveyed to ‘Metro Man’ E. Sreedharan soon,” said K.V. Thomas, who was accompanying the Chief Minister.

E. Sreedharan, in a statement to The New Indian Express, confirmed that he has not yet received any official notification from the Centre regarding his proposal. He added, “Since the Centre has not approved the SilverLine proposal, the state seems favorable to proceed with my proposal.”