Keralam maintains studied silence as clamour grows for Sabari rail, its extension to Vizhinjam

Even as Keralam seeks to develop an integrated transport network connecting NH-66, NH-544, the proposed Outer Ring Road, National Waterway-3, inland waterways and 17 minor ports to tap the potential of the Vizhinjam International Seaport, the State government continues to turn a blind eye to the three-decade-old Sabari rail project despite calls to revive the stalled project.

Congress MPs have urged the government to revive the stalled project and consider extending the proposed Sabari rail line from Erumeli to Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, linking it with the Vizhinjam International Seaport. Adoor Prakash, MP, in a letter to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, sought a survey of the Erumeli-Balaramapuram stretch to explore the potential of connecting the rail line to Vizhinjam. Earlier, the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL), the special purpose vehicle for implementing viable rail projects in Keralam on a cost-sharing basis with the Railways, had recommended extending the proposed Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari line to Punalur and further to Thiruvananthapuram and Vizhinjam.

Amid the State government’s perceived lukewarm response, Anto Antony, MP has also urged the Chief Minister to revive the long-pending project, which was sanctioned in 1997, but has remained unimplemented due to administrative hurdles. In a letter to the Chief Minister, Mr. Anto said that although the land acquisition notification was issued in March 2026, little progress had been made in setting up the required offices and deploying officials for the acquisition process.

The delay has also left affected landowners in difficulty, as properties falling within the proposed alignment cannot be freely sold or used to secure loans. Mr. Anto has sought a meeting of MPs, revenue officials and elected representatives from the affected areas to review the project, resolve administrative bottlenecks and address the concerns of landowners.

On the other hand, the State government has yet to establish land acquisition offices or redeploy Revenue department officials currently engaged in other acquisition works, including for NH-66, where land acquisition work has almost been over. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior bureaucrat said the Revenue department has forwarded a note expressing its willingness to deploy officials for the Sabari rail land acquisition. However, a final decision would depend on the Chief Minister, the officer said.

Administrative delays

According to Jijo Joseph Panchiani, secretary of the Sabari Rail Action Council (SARC), the land acquisition notification will remain valid for one year from its formal issuance. Urging the State government to demonstrate its commitment to implementing the project, he said the previous United Democratic Front (UDF) government led by the late Oommen Chandy had informed the Centre of the State’s willingness to bear half the project cost, as sought by the Railways. Though the project was later frozen by the Railways, it gained traction in 2021 after the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government expressed its willingness to proceed under the cost-sharing model.

Later, the Railway Board formally withdrew its decision to freeze the project last year. However, no significant progress followed, with the change of government in the State and the slow pace of administrative action further delaying the project, Mr. Panchiani said.

The project envisages connecting the hill shrine of Sabarimala to the railway network through a line from Angamaly to Erumeli. The extension from Erumeli towards Vizhinjam was proposed after work began on the international seaport, with the aim of creating a strategic rail link to the port.