Published May 20, 2026 | 12:14 PM ⚊ Updated May 20, 2026 | 12:14 PM
A promotional poster of the now-shelved SilverLine project. (Sourced)
Synopsis: The Kerala Cabinet decided to de-notify the contentious Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod semi high-speed rail corridor project, SilverLine. Sources said the government took the decision citing the absence of approval from the Union government and the impracticality of the detailed project report.
In another major decision taken by the new UDF government in Kerala, the state Cabinet on Wednesday, 20 May, decided to de-notify the contentious Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod semi high-speed rail corridor project, SilverLine.
It was also decided to cancel all notifications issued regarding the acquisition of land for the said project.
The move formally brings to an end the ambitious ₹63,941 crore SilverLine project that had been strongly pushed by the previous LDF government through Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail), the joint venture company formed with the Ministry of Railways for implementing the project.
It has been seven years since the previous LDF government began laying marker stones on land identified for acquisition across the state, triggering widespread anxiety and protests among affected residents.
The project soon faced strong public resistance in several districts, eventually stalling further proceedings.
Also Read: Uncertainty over SilverLine continues as central minister says no approval granted
Sources said the government took the decision citing the absence of approval from the Union government and the impracticality of the detailed project report (DPR), which was criticised as a hastily prepared document. Offices opened in 11 districts for SilverLine activities have already been wound up, and staff redeployed.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan said the UDF government is not against such projects, provided it doesn’t compromise Kerala’s fiscal and ecological realities.
He also added that if SilverLine became a reality, it would have been an environmental disaster.
“It was never a sustainable project. It didn’t consider the geographical stature of the state. The UDF had studied the project in detail. It held discussions with experts and decided not to second it. But the LDF government itself had frozen the project. But it didn’t denotify it, causing hardships for common people,” he added.
Ahead of the Assembly elections, Chief Minister VD Satheesan had promised that the UDF would de-notify the land acquired for SilverLine if voted to power.
The CPI(M), meanwhile, had consistently defended K-Rail, projecting it as “one of Kerala’s most important development projects in the last 50 years.”
The SilverLine project was expected to cover a 530-km stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, with 11 stations. The project aimed to ease transportation along the entire north-south of Kerala and reduce travel time to less than four hours, as against 12 to 14 hours.
The semi-high-speed rail project was opposed by parties, including the Congress and the BJP, as well as by the local people in some parts of the state.
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
