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

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An 8-km rail line and a station constructed as part of the Angamali-Sabari railway project.

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.

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.