Congress MP KC Venugopal and other opposition MPs from Kerala protested the Union Budget 2026 terming it as an anti-Kerala budget at the Parliament premises in New Delhi on Monday. | Photo credit: ANI
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced that the Center has earmarked a budgetary outlay of ₹3,795 crore for railway development projects in Kerala for 2026-27. However, the project allocation for individual railway projects has not yet been released.
Sources close to the railways clarified that the expenditure announced represents the total project cost of various development works currently underway in the state. This does not mean that the entire ₹3,795 crore will be spent in the next financial year. Rather, it reflects the cumulative costs of projects already under construction.
Responding to questions on the high-speed rail project on which technocrat E. Sreedharan is working, Mr. Vaishnaw said in New Delhi that the Union Government has fully supported Mr. Sreedharan’s efforts.
He also confirmed that Mr. Sreedharan consulted him on railway development in Kerala. The Minister of Railways assured that the high-speed railway project would eventually be in the hands of the state, but did not provide further details.
The minister also did not give a clear timetable for the implementation of the high-speed rail line in Kerala. He said that work is currently underway for the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the fourth Mangaluru-Shoranur line and the field survey for the 106-km third Shoranur-Ernakulam line.
Preparatory work on the third line projects along Shoranur–Coimbatore, Ernakulam–Kayamkulam, Kayamkulam–Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil sections has also started. In addition, steps were initiated for the Sabari railway project and the Thirunavaya–Guruvayur route was announced.
Mr. Vaishnaw said that a fresh letter would be sent to the Chief Minister seeking expedited acquisition of land for railway development projects in the state.
In a statement, Southern Railway said that various infrastructure works, including station redevelopment and security projects, totaling ₹18,041 crore are currently underway 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.
Around 125 km of railway lines have been constructed in Kerala in the last 12 years, the statement added.
Published – 02 Feb 2026 20:17 IST
