Keralam creates new posts, land acquisition units to speed up rail projects in Alappuzha, Palakkad

Giving fresh momentum to the stalled railway doubling works along the Kayamkulam–Ernakulam stretch via Alappuzha in the State, the Keralam government has created additional posts and new land acquisition units for railway projects in Alappuzha and Palakkad districts to expedite the land acquisition process. According to a government order, the new offices and posts will be established for a period of one year from the date of the order.Several key railway doubling projects have already been sanctioned for the coastal stretch of the State, including the Ernakulam–Kumbalam doubling project (8 km) at a cost of ₹828 crore, Kumbalam–Thuravur patch doubling (16 km) at ₹1,171 crore, Alappuzha–Ambalappuzha doubling (12 km) at ₹313 crore, Mararikulam–Alappuzha doubling (11 km) at ₹221 crore and Thuravur-Mararikulam doubling (21 km) at ₹434 crore.In Palakkad, the 1.80-km Palakkad Town–Parali bypass line, estimated to cost ₹163.57 crore, has also been sanctioned. Of these projects, the Ernakulam–Kumbalam and Kumbalam–Thuravur patch doubling works have been delayed due to land acquisition issues.Fresh momentumThe creation of new land acquisition offices and posts is expected to provide fresh momentum to these projects. However, considering other sanctioned railway projects in Keralam, including the long-pending Angamaly–Sabari new rail line, Tirunnavaya–Guruvayur new rail line and Thiruvananthapuram–Kanyakumari doubling project, the State needs to acquire a total of 618 hectares for various railway projects. So far, the State has acquired only 78 hectares (13%), leaving 540 hectares (87%) yet to be acquired. The Railways have also deposited ₹1,976 crore with the Keralam government for land acquisition.The Railways has further sanctioned 145 rail overbridges (ROBs) and road underbridges (RUBs) in the State at an estimated cost of ₹4,786 crore. These include 136 ROBs, one pedestrian subway and eight RUBs. However, work on 52 of these structures has been delayed due to issues attributed to the State government, including delays in land acquisition (34), finalisation of alignments (13) and the non-engagement of agencies (five). Published - September 24, 2026 06:57 pm IST