A memorandum seeking to link the proposed Sabari Rail project with the Vizhinjam International Seaport via Pathanamthitta, Punalur and Nedumangad has been submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The memorandum submitted by a delegation led by Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil seeks to develop port-allied industries in the eastern parts of the State and demands that a detailed project report (DPR) be prepared by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd. for the project.
According to the memorandum, the possibilities of acquiring land and developing the areas for port-allied industries in the densely populated western parts of the State through which the existing national highway and railway line pass through are very limited. Instead, the State government could develop huge swathes of land and several towns in the eastern parts of the State for port-allied industries. The State can acquire and develop several estates in the Nedumangad, Punalur, Pathanapuram, Konni, Ranni, Kanjirappally, Thodupuzha, and Kothamangalam taluks spread across Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, and Ernakulam districts.
If the third railway line in the State is built through eastern Kerala, the State will get 26 new railway stations, including 14 stations on the Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari Rail route.
The proposal envisages connecting the Sabari Rail to the Vizhinjam port via Nedumangad by developing Kattakada, Nedumangad, Venjaramoodu and Kilimanoor as suburbs of Thiruvananthapuram.
The cost of land acquisition in the eastern plantation region will be much less than that in the densely populated western region. Since there are no marshy areas in the eastern region, the construction cost will be less. The delegation said that Sabari Rail should be developed as a green field rail which could be used to conduct uninterrupted services in case of disruption in the existing line to the State capital.
The Railway Board’s policy of giving priority to rail facilities in towns and district headquarters with a population of more than 50,000 would also be favourable to extending Sabari Rail to Vizhinjam Port via Pathanamthitta-Punalur-Nedumangad. The population of Nedumangad city alone is 62,000.
The delegation also requested the Chief Minister to allocate funds for preparing the DPR.
Published – October 16, 2025 09:17 pm IST
