A team from the Railway Board held discussions with Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday to explore ways to take the Sabari Rail project forward.
Official sources said the delegation, which included Additional Railway Board Member Rajesh Agarwal, Chief Administrative Officer Om Prakash, and Kerala Rail Development Corporation (KRDC) Managing Director Ajith Kumar, held deliberations on cost-sharing arrangements and land acquisition for the project. Another round of meeting to deliberate in detail on these aspects will be held soon
While the State government has expressed only conditional willingness to share project costs, the Railways continue to insist on a 50:50 cost-sharing model. It has also asked the State to bear a portion of the expenditure already incurred. In addition, the State is expected to complete land acquisition up to Erumely. The Railways have agreed to begin construction once this is achieved.
The 110-km Angamaly–Erumely route was first announced in the Railway Budget for 1997–98. So far, land has been acquired for an 8-km stretch and construction has been completed on a 7-km section between Angamaly and Kalady.
Published – July 29, 2025 09:45 pm IST
