The complaint that the central government neglects Kerala regarding rail development is longstanding. Kerala often falls behind in acquiring and handing over the required land for development projects. For instance, although a coach factory was approved in Palakkad, Kerala failed to acquire the land on time. Years later, when the land was finally acquired, the coach factory was moved to a northern state. There is no point in blaming the Railway Board or the central government for the non-completion of the Angamaly–Erumeli Sabarimala rail line; the state hasn't handed over the necessary land for the project. Similarly, while other states have agreed to bear half the costs of certain projects as requested by the central government, Kerala takes years to make decisions on such matters.

Kerala is among the top states in generating maximum revenue for Railways through passenger fares. However, it is a fact that Railways does not reciprocate with due consideration to Kerala. Kerala is the only state where not a single kilometre of new railway track for passenger trains has been commissioned in the last three decades. Meanwhile, neighbouring states have made significant progress: Tamil Nadu has added 405 km, Karnataka 318 km, Andhra Pradesh 350 km, and Telangana 285 km of new tracks in the last eight years. Inspired by other states' high-speed rail developments, Kerala sought approval for the SilverLine project. Yet, Railways appears to be catering to political agendas rather than Kerala's legitimate demands. Kerala generates the highest revenue from Vande Bharat trains. Despite this, Kerala's request for more Vande Bharat trains has not been adequately considered. The temporary Vande Bharat train service on the Ernakulam-Bengaluru route was highly successful, yet it was discontinued.

The Union Cabinet has approved two rail infrastructure development projects worth ₹6,798 crores for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Bihar's project involves doubling the rail tracks across 256 kilometres. Andhra Pradesh's project includes a new 57-kilometer rail line connecting Amaravati, its emerging capital, to the main rail route. The real reason behind the Railways' willingness to support Andhra Pradesh and Bihar is their significant political clout. There is nothing wrong in supporting powerful states, but it's unfair to neglect states like Kerala, which lacks such influence. Unfortunately, the Centre is currently adopting a biased approach. Reports suggest that the state government is planning to approach the Centre to implement the Sabarimala Railway project by signing a tripartite agreement, involving the Railway Ministry and Reserve Bank of India. Kerala will again inform the Centre that it is willing to provide the state's share for the project. Initially, in 2021, Kerala offered to bear half the cost of the Angamaly-Erumeli rail line, which was announced in 1997. There is no point in repeating complaints about central negligence after delaying crucial decisions for years.