New Delhi, 21 September (H.S.):

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday that the railway area in Mangaluru will be brought under the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway (SWR) to address operational issues. Earlier, the area was divided among three different railway entities—the Southern Railway, South Western Railway and Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL)—leading to unnecessary delays in train operations and coordination-related problems.

Following a meeting with Members of Parliament from Kerala, Vaishnaw said that bringing the Mangaluru rail area under a single operational jurisdiction would eliminate interchange-related issues between different railway zones and enable smoother and more efficient train operations. He said that the allocation for railway development in Kerala had increased from Rs 372 crore in 2014 to Rs 3,795 crore in the financial year 2026-27. According to the Railways, the allocation for Kerala in 2026-27 is more than ten times the average annual allocation of Rs 372 crore during 2009-14.

He said the impact of increased investment over the past 12 years is also visible on the ground. During this period, six major doubling/gauge-conversion projects covering a total length of 670 km have been completed in Kerala. In addition, 131 flyovers and underpasses have been constructed, while 100 per cent electrification of the state's railway network has been completed.

Vaishnaw said railway projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crore are currently at various stages of implementation in Kerala. These include nine multi-tracking/new railway line projects, 145 flyovers and underpasses, and the redevelopment of 19 railway stations.

The Railway Minister said surveys are underway for preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the construction of third and fourth railway lines on six sections to augment rail capacity in Kerala. The combined length of these sections is more than 800 km. They include Shoranur-Coimbatore (99 km), Mangaluru-Shoranur (307 km), Shoranur-Ernakulam (106 km), Ernakulam-Kayamkulam (115 km), Kayamkulam-Thiruvananthapuram (105 km) and Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil (71 km).

He said land acquisition remains a major challenge affecting the progress of several projects. A total of 618 hectares of land is required for various projects in Kerala, of which only 78 hectares, or 13 per cent, has been acquired so far. Another 540 hectares remain to be acquired. The Railways has already deposited Rs 1,976 crore with the Kerala Government for land acquisition.

Delays in land acquisition have affected the pace of certain projects, including the Angamaly-Sabarimala new railway line. The Railways has stated in the past as well that land acquisition, forest and other statutory clearances, and local conditions are important factors affecting the completion of projects.

In Kerala, 145 Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) are being constructed at a cost of Rs 4,786 crore. These comprise 136 ROBs, eight RUBs and one pedestrian subway. Of these, 52 projects are facing delays due to reasons related to the state government. These include 34 cases involving land acquisition, 13 concerning finalisation of alignments and five related to the non-appointment of agencies.

On passenger amenities and connectivity, Vaishnaw said six Vande Bharat and six Amrit Bharat Express services are currently operating in Kerala. More than 180 new stoppages have been provided in the state over the past five years, while 22 new train services have been introduced during the last two years. In addition, MEMU services have been introduced or extended on various routes, including Ernakulam-Kayamkulam, Shoranur-Nilambur Road, Kollam-Ernakulam and Palakkad-Pollachi.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 35 railway stations in Kerala are being redeveloped at a total cost of Rs 3,111 crore. Work has been completed at 16 stations. These include Angamali for Kalady, Chalakudy, Changanassery, Chirayinkeezhu, Feroke, Guruvayur, Kuttippuram, Mavelikara, Nilambur Road, Parappanangadi, Shoranur, Thalassery, Tirur, Tripunithura, Vadakara and Wadakkanchery.

According to the Railways, 493 km of railway lines have been electrified in Kerala since 2014, and the state's entire railway network, covering 1,046 route kilometres, is now electrified. Kerala has also witnessed a significant increase in budgetary allocations for railway infrastructure in recent years.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar