The long-dormant Angamaly–Sabari rail line project, which has been a long-standing dream of Kerala, is now being revived. This project, stalled for over a quarter-century, has gained new life following a meeting between the delegation led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. During this meeting, Kerala received an assurance of approval for the same route it had proposed. The most significant outcome of this meeting is that land acquisition for the Sabari rail line will begin next month. State minister V Abdurahiman, who is in charge of railways in Kerala and was part of the delegation, said that a team of experts from the central government will arrive in Kerala as part of the preparations.

While the Angamaly–Sabarimala line faced uncertainty, an alternate Chengannur–Pampa route was also considered by the Railways, but was deemed impractical, the minister said.

The Sabari rail line is 111.48 kilometres long, running from Angamaly to Erumeli. It was first proposed in the 1991-98 Union Railway Budget. Strong local opposition emerged due to concerns that the route would pass through rubber estates, residential areas, and vital livelihood regions. Had the project been realised then, it could have significantly increased the number of North Indian pilgrims visiting Sabarimala. Notably, this would be the first railway line through the Idukki district.

So far, only 8 kilometres of land have been acquired for the project, and just 7 kilometres of track, including a bridge over the Periyar river between Angamaly and Kalady, have been completed. Preliminary surveys and demarcation have been conducted in Idukki and Kottayam districts, which left hundreds of families in limbo over land issues.

The commencement of land acquisition next month will bring great relief to those affected. The state has also proposed extending this railway line via Punalur to Vizhinjam. Once cargo movement from the Vizhinjam port reaches full capacity, there will be severe traffic congestion on the MC Road. The parallel Greenfield corridor may also prove insufficient. However, if the Sabari rail line is extended to Vizhinjam, it would be possible to construct a dedicated freight line exclusively for cargo transportation.

The total construction cost of the Sabari rail line is estimated at Rs 3,801 crore, of which the Kerala state government must contribute Rs 1,900 crore. Extending the line to Vizhinjam would cost an additional Rs 4,800 crore. Kerala has requested that this project be included in the central government’s 'Rail Sagarmala' project, which focuses on rail connectivity to ports. The delegation also brought to the Railway Minister’s attention an alternate proposal to the SilverLine project, suggested by E. Sreedharan, and the Minister assured that the file would be examined. He also mentioned that plans to develop a third and fourth railway corridor for Kerala are under consideration. Kerala is a small state and what it truly needs is a high-speed corridor that would allow people to travel from one end to the other within 4 to 5 hours.