Despite contributing heavily to railways' coffers, Kerala shown the door again

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite ranking among the country’s most profitable routes for Vande Bharat trains, the railway budget left Kerala discontented. The Centre claims allocating ten times more to Kerala every year compared to the railway budget of ten years ago. Not a single project requested by the state has been allocated this time.

The railways continue to gift more projects to southern Indian states except Kerala, including new lines and terminals. Allocating Rs 324.16 crore for the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam line doubling project (12.66 km from Alappuzha to Ambalappuzha) and Rs 163.57 crore for the 1.80 km bypass road from Palakkad town to Parali are the only two offers for Kerala in the railway budget. The rest are just survey announcements.

There will be another survey for the earlier-promised Thirunavaya-Guruvayur new railway line, the completion of the DPR for the Mangalore-Shornur fourth line and the Shoranur-Ernakulam third line, and the survey for the Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil third line.

The construction of the Sabari line, the second phase of the sluggish Nemom coaching terminal, the high-speed rail line, and the freight corridor connecting India's largest port, Vizhinjam, were not included in the railway budget.