While Ministry of Railways has sanctioned a total of 127 ROB (Road Over Bridge) projects in Kerala, 105 of these projects are yet to be commenced due to delays in land acquisition and finalising alignment. In response to a question raised by Kodikunnil Suresh MP at Lok Sabha, the Ministry has informed that as of November 1, 2025, 127 ROBs have been sanctioned across railway tracks in Kerala, covering the Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, and Palakkad Divisions, with projects currently in various stages of planning and execution. Of these, 106 works are sanctioned on a cost-sharing basis, while 21 works are financed entirely by the Railways. Delays in the 105 ROB projects are primarily attributed to issues from the State government.
“Urgent coordination between the Railways and the State government is essential to address the massive delay in ROB projects in Kerala. This slowness is hampering key infrastructure works in the State. The fact that only two ROB/RUB projects have been completed in the current financial year up to October 2025 underscores the urgency for quick intervention,” said Mr Suresh.
The Ministry observed that the completion and commissioning of ROB works are dependent on various factors including the cooperation of State governments in providing consent for the closure of Level Crossings (LCs), fixing the approach alignment, approval of the General Arrangement Drawing (GAD), land acquisition, removal of encroachment, shifting of infringing utilities, obtaining statutory clearances from various authorities, the law and order situation in the project sites, and the duration of the working season available in a year for the particular project due to climatic conditions.
Among the 105 ROB projects, there are 37 cases where land acquisition was delayed while 63 cases are awaiting finalisation of alignment by State government. Two projects were stalled due to public protests and court cases and in three cases agency is yet to be fixed. “The long-term delays in ROB construction are affecting lakhs of daily commuters, causing constant traffic congestion and safety hazards at busy level crossings. Coordination between the State government and Railway authorities must be strengthened to expedite land acquisition, utility shifting, and GAD approvals,” said the MP.
Published – December 03, 2025 05:06 pm IST
