Thiruvananthapuram: After the proposed high-speed K-Rail failed to take off amid protests by the public and opposition parties, the Kerala government, looking to improve connectivity across the state, has approved a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), a move that may become the eye of a fresh storm.
According to the Kerala government, the Centre’s refusal to approve the K-Rail project’s detailed project report (DPR) prompted its decision to move ahead with the RRTS as an alternative connectivity plan.
The K-Rail, or SilverLine, was an ambitious semi-high-speed rail corridor mooted by the first Pinarayi Vijayan government in 2016 to reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod from 12 hours to four.
Outside the Indian Railways framework, the proposed dedicated system faced stiff opposition not only from locals but also from the BJP and Congress units in Kerala. Eventually, it failed to secure the Centre’s nod, reportedly on “technical grounds”.
Leaving K-Rail behind, the Kerala Cabinet Wednesday gave its in-principle approval for the new 583-km RRTS project.
“Kerala is a land lying along the North-South direction with a narrow breadth. Kerala is as long as two or three European countries combined. Rapid transport facilities along the south–north axis are paramount to the resurrection of Kerala’s economy, market, and culture,” Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said Thursday while presenting the 2026–27 state budget.
“Our present stand is that the project will be realised despite the obstructions raised by the (Congress-led front) UDF and the BJP.”
According to the state’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, the project will be integrated with existing urban metro systems, including the Kochi Metro and the proposed metro projects in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. It is set to be implemented in four phases, and the state government is expected to inform the Centre about the RRTS soon.
Sreedharan’s proposal
The new project has already become a flashpoint between the state government and veteran engineer and ‘metro man’ E. Sreedharan.
Calling the project an “election stunt” and a “foolish venture”, Sreedharan said the RRTS was impractical.
A native of Kerala’s Palakkad district, Sreedharan is known for his leadership role in the construction of the Delhi Metro, Konkan Railway, and Kochi Metro. After retirement, he briefly entered politics and unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Palakkad as a BJP candidate.
“RRTS as a high-speed railway is impractical. If it were between two neighbouring districts, it could have worked. Because its average speed is less, people who know about it will call it a foolish venture,” Sreedharan told the media Friday.
Sreedharan has alleged that the state government deliberately delayed an alternative project to K-Rail that he proposed to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan—a plan slightly different from the stalled SilverLine. Though the chief minister was satisfied, the proposal was delayed, according to Sreedharan.
Nearly a week ago, Sreedharan had claimed that the Centre was considering a high-speed rail corridor connecting the same areas as the K-Rail. He said the project would be announced within two weeks and implemented by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
Responding Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the LDF government would be happy to accept Sreedharan’s proposal. However, when the state approached the Centre regarding it, the Union government appeared unaware of the plan, the CM said, adding that Sreedharan had conveyed that he sent his proposal directly to the Centre.
Alternatives
The Kerala government’s RRTS proposal comes nearly a decade after preliminary work began on the K-Rail project. Though K-Rail was conceived in 2016, a high-speed rail corridor across the state had been under consideration since 2009.
The then LDF government, led by V.S. Achuthanandan, had cleared a Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore rail corridor, with work continuing under the United Democratic Front’s Oommen Chandy government (2011–16). However, the project stalled due to land acquisition concerns and financial constraints.
According to the DPR prepared in 2020, the K-Rail would have been a standard-gauge, electrified, semi-high-speed rail corridor along the length of Kerala, from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, offering energy-efficient, fast, and safe transportation. The project was conceived as a joint venture between the Union Ministry of Railways and the Government of Kerala, with its feasibility study completed in 2019.
“The existing railway network and highways in Kerala are not amenable to faster travel due to heavy traffic density, sharp curves, and steep gradients caused by terrain conditions. The average speed of travel by rail and road in the state is about 30 percent to 40 percent lower than that in neighbouring states,” the DPR had noted.
The system aimed to reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod from 12 hours to four, with one stop in each of the 11 districts. The 529.45-km corridor was designed to operate at a speed of 200 kmph, with operations proposed to begin in 2025.
The total land required for the SilverLine, including alignment and stations, was estimated at 1,383 hectares—185 hectares of existing Southern Railway land and 1,198 hectares of private land.
The RRTS project, on the other hand, is “both technically feasible and socially acceptable”—comparable to the Delhi–Meerut RRTS corridor—according to the state government. The Centre has shown a positive stance towards the project, the government has said.
“During a visit to Kerala, the Union (railways) minister stated that if a DPR is submitted, the Kerala RRTS project would be seriously considered,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Under the proposal, an elevated viaduct model would replace a ground-level embankment, significantly reducing land acquisition, avoiding obstruction of natural water flow, and addressing local concerns, according to the state government.
However, the UDF has dismissed the RRTS as merely an announcement, pointing out that the LDF government is nearing the end of its tenure—a reference to the upcoming state polls.
On the SilverLine, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the United Democratic Front opposed the project due to its environmental and economic impact. “We welcome both state and Centre projects, but it should not be a mistake like the SilverLine project. The DPR for that project was hurried. Kerala needs a high-speed transport system, but we studied the DPR thoroughly and realised it would have had serious environmental and economic consequences. The Rs 100 crore spent on it was wasted.”
Satheesan also criticised the RRTS proposal. “As the LDF completes its tenure, it is rushing into another project. We need to know what preliminary studies were conducted. These announcements are being made knowing they will not return to power.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)