Why Congress govt dumped Kerala's SilverLine project

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday (May 20) said that his government has decided to scrap the SilverLine semi-high speed rail project, an ambitious initiative of the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government.

Satheesan said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram that the notifications regarding land acquisition for the project will be revoked.

Besides that, the government will also recommend withdrawing criminal cases lodged against those who opposed the SilverLine project, subject to the court's decision, the CM said after a Cabinet meeting he chaired.

"The Cabinet has decided to scrap the Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod semi-high speed rail corridor project called SilverLine," Satheesan said at the commencement of his press conference.

‘Environmental disaster'

Satheesan said that the UDF was not against a high-speed rail corridor as long as it did not affect Kerala financially or environmentally.

"We had opposed the SilverLine as it did not even have a proper Detailed Project Report (DPR). Had it been implemented, it would have been an environmental disaster, as 30-foot-high embankments were planned for 300 km and 10-foot-high walls for another 200 km of the rail corridor," he said.

"During monsoons, it would have turned into an environmental disaster. It was not a sustainable project," he contended.

Also Read: SilverLine project: Follow law; asks Centre to make stand clear, says HC

Extensive protests against the project were held across the state, led by the Congress. Agitators uprooted and threw away many yellow markers associated with the project.

Satheesan said that the UDF came to the conclusion that the project was unviable after discussions with all kinds of experts. The CM said a UDF committe spoke to financial, ecological and other experts regaring the project.

The CM said that the LDF government only had to issue an order to denotify it, but it was not done despite abandoning the project.

Why SilverLine came under fire

From the beginning, SilverLine faced opposition.

Land acquisition emerged as the most contentious issue. The project required the acquisition of more than 1,300 hectares of land, cutting across densely populated areas. Protests were reported from multiple districts, with residents expressing concern about displacement, compensation, and the impact on livelihoods.

Environmental groups raised concerns about wetlands, paddy fields, and ecologically-sensitive zones. Questions were also raised about the project cost, estimated at over Rs 63,000 crore, and the debt burden on the state.

LDF’s SilverLine project

The Left government's 530-km SilverLine project, planned by K-Rail - a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways - was expected to reduce travel time between the two districts at the two ends of the state to just four hours, with trains operating at a maximum speed of about 200 kms per hour.

It was conceived as a fully-dedicated passenger corridor, separate from the existing railway network, with standard gauge tracks and 11 stations across the state.

Also Read: SilverLine out, central high-speed rail in: The contest over Kerala’s mobility control

The stated rationale for SilverLine was Kerala’s high population density, limited road expansion possibilities, and chronic congestion on both roads and existing rail lines. The state government argued that incremental upgrades to the current railway system would not meet long-term demand. The project was also presented as a catalyst for economic integration across regions and a way to shift traffic away from roads.

Institutional resistance

Beyond public resistance, the project encountered institutional resistance at the Union government level. The Ministry of Railways repeatedly stated that it had not approved the detailed project report.

Technical objections included the choice of standard gauge instead of broad gauge, the proposal for a fully separate corridor, safety issues at road crossings, drainage design in a high rainfall state and a lack of clarity on integration with the existing rail network. The Railways maintained that any new line should either use broad gauge or be integrated with the Indian Railways infrastructure.

Also Read: Kerala's SilverLine project has faults, Centre won't approve: Sreedharan

By 2024, the Railways made it clear that permission would not be granted in its existing form.

In early 2025, senior officials and technical advisors, including E Sreedharan, publicly acknowledged that SilverLine could not proceed without a fundamental redesign. The Union government formally communicated that it would not approve a dedicated standard gauge corridor as proposed. The project was effectively shelved, though the state did not issue a formal withdrawal notification.

New high-speed rail proposal

Unlike SilverLine, the new proposal is being developed within the technical and administrative framework of Indian Railways and the Union government. Gauge compatibility, signalling systems, and safety standards are expected to align with national norms from the outset. This addresses one of the core reasons SilverLine failed to secure approval.

According to E Sreedharan, the cost estimates for the new high-speed rail corridor range from Rs 86,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore, higher than SilverLine due to increased use of elevated and underground sections. Funding is expected to involve a combination of central and state contributions, with potential multilateral or institutional financing. No land acquisition notifications or timelines have been announced so far.

Whether the new high-speed rail project progresses beyond the planning stage will depend on financing, execution capacity, and public acceptance.

Unlike SilverLine, it begins with Union government backing, which removes a major procedural obstacle. However, the scale of investment and construction challenges remains significant. The transition from SilverLine to the new proposal marks not an abandonment of the high-speed rail idea, but a shift in who defines it and how.

‘SilverLine project was abandoned’: Satheesan

CM Satheesan said the decision was taken because the project was abandoned and no transactions could be carried out regarding the lands notified for acquisition, which affected common people. As the state abandoned the project, even the central government did not give approval for it.

Therefore, all advertisements issued in connection with the acquisition of land for the project will be denotified, he said. With regard to cases pending in various courts and police stations concerning the protests against the project, the Home Department will examine them and recommend withdrawal based on their nature, Satheesan said.

Also Read: Won't abandon development projects, says Kerala CM on SilverLine

"The court will have to give permission to withdraw them," he added.

He further said that the revenue department has been instructed to remove the yellow concrete markers set up at various places as part of the land acquisition process for the project.

PSC exam rank lists’ validity extended

During the press conference, he also said that the cabinet has decided to extend the validity of the Public Service Commission's (PSC) exam rank lists till November 30, as hardly any appointments were made during the election period.

The validity of all PSC rank lists - those expiring by August 31 - will be extended till November 30, and instructions in this regard will be issued to the Public Service Commission, he said.

Also Read: SilverLine project good for state; will go ahead, says Kerala CM

He said that usually, rank list validity is not extended, but this time, due to the elections and related work, no appointments were made, and that is why the decision was taken to extend it.

"The lack of appointments disappointed many youngsters and created difficulties for them," Satheesan said.

Vision 2031

He also referred to the UDF manifesto and said the promises made in it will be divided among the various departments responsible for their implementation.

"We have termed it Vision 2031. Instructions have been issued to immediately start working on implementing all the promises made to the public in the manifesto so that it can be finished before this government's term expires in 2031," the CM said.

Also Read: Why Pinarayi govt’s ambitious SilverLine project is facing hurdles?

He also said that in the 100 days starting from June 1, the government will first try to finish all the manifesto promises that can be implemented quickly with minimal intervention.

The Cabinet meeting also decided to create a sub-committee for recommending names to the Centre for the Padma awards, he said.

In addition, the Cabinet also decided to appoint advocate Mohammed Shah as the Additional Advocate General in the Kerala High Court, the CM said.

(With agency inputs)