Thiruvananthapuram: After a delay of nearly 25 years, the State government has decided to resume construction of the Angamaly–Sabarimala railway line. The decision followed a meeting between State Minister for Railways V Abdurahiman and senior officials.

The project is estimated to cost ₹3,800.9 crore, including ₹1,361 crore for land acquisition and ₹2,439.93 crore for construction. The Cabinet has approved the State bearing 50 per cent of the cost—₹1,900 crore—through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

The Ministry of Railways has agreed to hand over the approved alignment and maps required for land acquisition to the State. Minister Abdurahiman has directed district collectors in the concerned districts to open dedicated offices and deploy staff to initiate land acquisition proceedings. The instructions were issued at a meeting held at the Assembly on Wednesday.

First proposed in the 1997–98 Railway Budget, the Angamaly–Erumeli railway line will span 111.48 km. Land acquisition for an 8-km stretch had been completed earlier, while nearly 90 per cent of the construction work on the 7-km stretch between Angamaly and Kalady was completed several years ago. However, land acquisition notifications for the remaining stretches lapsed, forcing the process to be restarted from scratch.

According to revised estimates prepared by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL), the project will require 303.58 hectares of land across Ernakulam, Idukki and Kottayam districts. The Cabinet has directed revenue authorities to commence acquisition proceedings and has decided to formally inform the Union Railway Ministry.

Officials said the prolonged delay was due to land acquisition hurdles and the lack of adequate allocations in successive railway budgets. They described the project as critical to Kerala’s overall development and the economic growth of the eastern highland regions.

Once completed, the 110-km railway line is expected to provide a safe and convenient travel option for Sabarimala pilgrims and significantly improve connectivity between Angamaly—located on National Highway 66—and towns such as Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha and Pala. The meeting to revive the project was attended by the KRDCL chairman and senior railway officials.