The Kerala government has formally dropped the controversial SilverLine rail project launched under the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, he confirmed that notices issued for land acquisition linked to the proposed high-speed corridor would be cancelled.
"We had opposed the Silverline as it did not even have a proper Detailed Project Report (DPR). Had it been implemented, it would have been an environmental disaster, as 30-foot-high embankments were planned for 300 km and 10-foot-high walls for another 200 km of the rail corridor," he said. “During monsoons, it would have turned into an environmental disaster. It was not a sustainable project.”
What Was The SilverLine Project?
The ambitious Rs 64,000-crore SilverLine rail initiative was planned as a high-speed route stretching from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, to slash travel time to four hours. Policymakers had argued that the state urgently required a modern rapid transit system because of its unique terrain and crowded urban belt.
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The scheme was scheduled to be carried out by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd., a collaborative venture between the Kerala government and Indian Railways under a 51:49 ownership arrangement. Formed specifically to develop railway infrastructure within the state, K-Rail secured cabinet approval for the project in 2021, along with a token funding allocation of Rs 2,000 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.
Under the original blueprint, the 530-km rail line would have been laid parallel to the current railway track, largely elevated on earthen embankments. The semi-high-speed service was expected to clock a top speed of 200 kmph. Each nine-coach rake was to accommodate 675 passengers across two travel classes. The line was to include 11 stations along the route.
The project required the acquisition of 1,383 hectares of land for the rail corridor, of which nearly 1,198 hectares belonged to private landowners. The proposal triggered widespread protests across Kerala, backed by both the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, as critics warned of mass displacement and possible environmental consequences.
Critics of the project argued that the planned route would cut across vulnerable ecological zones, including wetlands and agricultural land. Political opponents further warned that the scheme risked turning into a costly financial setback.
In the aftermath, authorities suspended the social impact assessment survey connected to land acquisition.
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