THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union budget for 2025-26 has a Rs 3,042 crore outlay for railway infrastructure development in Kerala. Tamil Nadu has been allocated Rs 6,626 crore. The previous budget earmarked Rs 2,744 crore for Kerala. There are no major projects announced for Kerala this year.
Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said the total budgetary allocation for Kerala is nearly eight times the average outlay of Rs 372 crore allotted during the 2009-14 UPA regime. There are eight projects spanning 419 km and costing Rs 12,350 crore in progress in Kerala. Thirty-five railway stations are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at a cost of Rs 2,560 crore. Commissioning of the Kavach safety system is progressing at 107 locations at a sanctioned cost of Rs 531 crore, a Southern Railway statement said.
However, passenger groups have expressed disappointment as their demand for better connectivity found no mention in the budget. “The budget is a disappointment. We have been demanding more MEMU trains for improved connectivity. However the minister’s focus has been on announcing more Vande Bharat trains, which do not serve the needs of daily commuters. The budget allocation has largely gone towards ongoing construction activities,” said Liyons J, secretary of Friends on Rails, a passenger advocacy group.
BJP state president K Surendran said the central allocation will give a big boost to the development of railways in Kerala. “The Centre is committed to making the Nilambur-Nanjancode line and the Sabarimala line a reality. But, there is inaction on the part of the state government,” he said.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed disappointment at the budget ignoring the key demands of the state -- the semi-high-speed rail project and a coach factory.
The Centre and state governments have blamed each other for the slow progress of rail projects in Kerala, especially with regard to the delay in execution of track doubling and the Sabari rail project.
Vaishnaw claims that the state government has acquired only 13% of the land required for railway development, while the state maintains that 65% of the required land has been made available.