Malappuram: The K-Rail Public Action Council has decided to oppose the high-speed rail project proposed by E Sreedharan, arguing that it fails to address Kerala’s transportation priorities and could have adverse impacts on the state's fragile ecological environment.

A state-level meeting convened in Aluva on Saturday to discuss Sreedharan’s proposal observed that the proposed high-speed rail line has a gauge and speed similar to those envisaged under the K-Rail's SilverLine project, which was dropped by the state government. However, participants noted that Kerala’s primary transportation needs are better connectivity with other states and improved travel between nearby towns and cities.

Sreedharan recently submitted an interim report on the high-speed rail project to the state government. The government has already constituted an expert committee to examine the proposal’s feasibility.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the council pointed out that freight transportation has become a major priority, particularly with the commissioning of Vizhinjam Port. It argued that the proposed rail project would involve ticket fares beyond the reach of ordinary passengers. The council also noted that Indian Railways has already achieved speeds higher than the 135 kmph proposed in the project.

The statement further highlighted that the Union Railway Ministry and the Railway Board had repeatedly clarified during the evaluation of the SilverLine project that only rail corridors with broad gauge and freight transportation capability would be considered for approval. These conditions were explicitly mentioned in the project documents submitted by the Kerala Government while seeking approval for SilverLine.

“Therefore, it is evident that any proposal that does not meet these requirements is unlikely to receive approval from the Centre,” the statement said.

As an alternative, the council suggested implementing automatic signalling systems, constructing third and fourth railway lines within the existing railway corridor, straightening curves where necessary, and developing high-speed rail tracks wherever feasible.

The council announced that it would launch a series of protest programmes in the coming days to press these demands.

The meeting also resolved to continue its agitation until all cases registered against activists of the K-Rail Action Council are completely withdrawn.