Revised high-speed rail plan proposes seven extension lines, including links to Wayanad and Pamba

Malappuram: The revised alignment of the proposed Kerala High Speed Rail (KHSR) corridor presented by Metro Man E Sreedharan on Tuesday includes seven extension lines to expand connectivity across the state, including proposed high-speed links to Wayanad and Pamba.

According to the details presented on Tuesday, the proposed extension corridors are Kannur–Kasargod, Kozhikode–Kalpetta (Wayanad), Pattambi–Palakkad, Thrissur–Palakkad, Thrissur–Guruvayur, Pathanamthitta–Pamba, and Thiruvananthapuram–Parassala.

As per the proposal, in the second phase, the line could be extended from Kannur to Kasargod, and later further north to Mangaluru or even up to Navi Mumbai. The document states that the Mangaluru–Mumbai stretch could be covered within six hours, potentially avoiding the need for doubling the existing Konkan Railway line.

The 82-km stretch from Kannur to Kasargod is expected to have a travel time of 36 minutes. Similarly, the 48-km Kozhikode–Kalpetta (Wayanad) extension could be covered in 30 minutes.

The proposal states that the 50-km Pattambi–Palakkad corridor could be traversed in 22 minutes. If implemented, the travel time between Kozhikode and Palakkad would be reduced to just 52 minutes. The document further claims that if this extension becomes a reality, the proposed ₹10,000-crore Kozhikode–Palakkad greenfield highway project could be abandoned.

The 52-km Thrissur–Palakkad stretch is projected to take 23 minutes, while the 22-km Thrissur–Guruvayur line could be covered in 10 minutes.

The 40-km Pathanamthitta–Pamba extension is expected to have a travel time of 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the 29-km Thiruvananthapuram–Parassala corridor could be covered in approximately 13 minutes.

The proposed extensions aim to significantly reduce travel time across key corridors in Kerala while integrating pilgrimage centres, tourism destinations and commercial hubs into the high-speed rail network.