New Delhi: The Union government has sanctioned surveys for the preparation of Detailed Project Reports for seven railway projects in Kerala aimed at enabling train speeds of up to 160 kmph. The information was provided by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on February 13.

The projects involve additional lines and doubling works across key corridors in the state. The proposed routes are:

• Shoranur–Mangaluru third and fourth lines, 307 km
• Coimbatore–Shoranur third and fourth lines, 99 km
• Shoranur–Ernakulam third line, 106 km
• Ernakulam–Kayankulam third line via Kottayam, 115 km
• Kayankulam–Thiruvananthapuram third line, 105 km
• Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil third line, 71 km
• Thuravur–Ambalappuzha doubling, 46 km

Once the DPRs are finalised, the projects will require consultations with stakeholders, including the state government, and statutory approvals such as appraisal by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Finance. The Centre said sanctioning of railway projects is a continuous and dynamic process and specific timelines cannot be fixed at this stage.

Vaishnaw had earlier informed the Rajya Sabha that DPRs are being prepared for several rail line projects in Kerala, including the 261 km Kasaragod–Kozhikode–Shoranur third and fourth line, the 106 km Shoranur–Ernakulam third line, the 99 km Shoranur–Coimbatore third and fourth line, the 115 km Ernakulam–Kayankulam third line, the 105 km Kayankulam–Thiruvananthapuram third line, and the 71 km Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil third line, covering a total of 757 km.

Silver Line project under review
The statement also referred to Kerala’s proposed semi-high-speed Silver Line corridor between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod. The DPR for the project was prepared by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways.

The Railways has advised that the DPR be revised in line with updated technical standards. These include adoption of broad gauge for seamless integration with the national railway network, flatter ruling gradients, proper drainage systems, provision of Kavach automatic train protection, 2×25 kV electrification and environmental safeguards during construction and operation.

However, the Kerala government has sought to treat the Silver Line as a standalone project, the Railways said.

Highlighting nationwide improvements, the government said railway tracks capable of supporting sectional speeds of 130 kmph and above have expanded nearly fourfold in the past 11 years.

In 2013-14, only 5,036 track km, or 6.3 per cent of the network, supported speeds of 130 kmph and above. By January 2026, this had increased to 23,477 track km, accounting for 22.2 per cent of the network. Similarly, tracks supporting speeds between 110 and 130 kmph increased from 26,409 km in 2013-14 to 61,711 km in 2025-26, while sections with speeds below 110 kmph reduced significantly over the same period.