Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep in abeyance the proposed transfer of the Mangaluru area from the Southern Railway’s Palakkad division to South Western Railway’s Mysuru division, as the bifurcation, which was announced without any consultation with the State, has caused serious concern in Keralam owing to its “long-term implications for the railway infrastructure and development prospects”.
In a letter to Mr. Modi on Monday (August 24, 2026), he requested the Prime Minister to direct the Railway Ministry to reconsider its decision after due consultations with the State.
Mr. Satheesan said that the Railway Board’s decision to transfer the Mangaluru area up to and including Ullal effective from October 1 this year would have serious financial implications for the State.
“The Palakkad railway division has historically played a crucial role in the development and administration of railway services in northern Keralam and the adjoining Mangaluru region… The proposed transfer will remove from Palakkad division not merely Mangaluru Central and Mangaluru Junction, but also the strategically important railway infrastructure associated with the Mangaluru port region, including Panambur, which handles substantial freight and container traffic,” Mr. Satheesan argued.
Major source of revenue
He said the Mangaluru area accounts for more than 90% of the freight revenue of the Palakkad division, around ₹650 crore, and contributes more than 50% of the division’s overall revenue of approximately ₹1,650 crore. The Panambur freight and marshalling facilities constitute a major component of this revenue base. Removing such a substantial revenue-generating territory will inevitably diminish the operational and financial strength of the Palakkad division, he said.
The weakening of the Palakkad division, he said, would in the long run hamper the allocation of resources, sanctioning of infrastructure projects, introduction of new train services, passenger amenities and other railway development initiatives in the Malabar region.
“Northern Keralam already requires substantial augmentation of railway capacity and services, and any administrative restructuring that reduces the importance and viability of the division responsible for this region would be detrimental to the State’s developmental interests,” Mr. Satheesan wrote.
Losing jurisdiction
The division had already lost a significant portion of its jurisdiction in 2007 when Coimbatore area was added to the newly formed Salem division. The present proposal would further curtail the territorial jurisdiction, operational importance and revenue base of one of the oldest railway divisions in the country, Mr. Satheesan said.
Since such internal arrangements of Railways have a direct bearing on regional connectivity, infrastructure investment, freight movement, passenger services and the economic development of the areas served by the division, it would have been appropriate to consult the State prior to arriving at such decisions.
“Keralam fully appreciates the need for administrative and operational efficiency in the functioning of Indian Railways. However, any jurisdictional reorganisation should be undertaken only after objectively assessing its impact on all the regions concerned and ensuring that it does not result in the weakening of railway infrastructure or developmental prospects of any State or region,” Mr. Satheesan said.
Published – August 24, 2026 06:54 pm IST
