Congress MP K.C. Venugopal and other Opposition MPs from Kerala protest against the Union Budget 2026 calling it an anti-Kerala Budget on the Parliament premises in New Delhi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced that the Centre has earmarked a Budget outlay of ₹3,795 crore for rail development projects in Kerala for the year 2026–27. However, the project-wise allocation for individual rail projects has not yet been released.
Sources close to the Railways clarified that the announced outlay represents the total project cost of various development works currently under way in the State. This does not mean that the entire ₹3,795 crore will be spent in next financial year. Rather, it reflects the cumulative cost of projects already under construction.
Responding to questions on the high-speed rail project being worked on by technocrat E. Sreedharan, Mr. Vaishnaw stated in New Delhi that the Union government has extended full support to Mr. Sreedharan’s efforts.
He also confirmed that Mr. Sreedharan had consulted him regarding rail development in Kerala. While assuring that the high-speed rail project would eventually come to the State, the Railway Minister refrained from providing further details.
The Minister also did not give a clear timeline for the implementation of the high-speed rail line in Kerala. He said that work on preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the Mangaluru–Shoranur fourth line and the field survey for the 106-km-long Shoranur–Ernakulam third line were currently in progress.
Preliminary work has also begun on the third line projects along the Shoranur–Coimbatore, Ernakulam–Kayamkulam, Kayamkulam–Thiruvananthapuram, and Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil stretches. In addition, steps have been initiated for the Sabari rail project, and the Thirunavaya–Guruvayur route has been announced.
Mr. Vaishnaw said a fresh letter would be sent to the Chief Minister requesting expedited land acquisition for railway development projects in the State.
In a statement, the Southern Railway said that various infrastructure works, including station redevelopment and safety projects, amounting to a total cost of ₹18,041 crore, are currently under way in Kerala. As many as 35 railway stations in the State have been identified for upgradation under the Amrit Station Scheme at a cost of ₹2,989 crore.
Over the past 12 years, approximately 125 km of railway tracks have been constructed in Kerala, the statement added.
Published – February 02, 2026 08:17 pm IST
