The Kerala government on Wednesday officially scrapped the long-debated SilverLine rail corridor project, ending years of political and public controversy surrounding the ambitious semi-high-speed railway proposal.
Announcing the decision after a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said all proceedings related to the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod K-Rail project, launched by the previous LDF government in 2019, would be discontinued.
As part of the decision, the cabinet directed the Revenue Department to remove survey stones laid along the proposed route and halt all land acquisition activities linked to the project. The government will also review and withdraw cases registered against protestors who participated in anti-SilverLine agitations across the state.
The Congress-led opposition had been one of the strongest critics of the project and had supported large-scale protests against it during the previous administration.
Envisioned as a 530-km semi-high-speed rail corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, SilverLine was promoted as a transformative transport initiative for Kerala. However, the project faced widespread resistance from residents, environmental activists and opposition parties over concerns related to displacement, environmental impact and financial burden.
The proposed corridor required the acquisition of over 1,200 hectares of land across densely populated regions, with critics estimating that nearly 10,000 families could have been displaced.
Environmental experts had also warned that elevated embankments planned for sections of the railway could disrupt Kerala’s natural drainage network and intensify flooding during heavy monsoon seasons.
Concerns were further raised over the project’s financing model, as the estimated Rs 63,941 crore cost depended significantly on international bilateral loans, triggering fears about the state’s long-term debt liabilities.
Chief Minister Satheesan clarified that the government remained open to modern rail connectivity projects, but would prioritise environmentally sustainable and socially responsible alternatives.
