SilverLine 2.0: Kerala’s High-Speed Dream Shifts to Broad Gauge

The Union Railway Ministry has revived Kerala’s long-pending SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project by asking the state to revise its detailed project report (DPR).

A major change involves shifting from the originally proposed standard gauge to broad gauge (BG), aligning the project with emerging national standards for semi-high-speed BG corridors. This approach draws on experience from projects such as the Sarkhej–Dholera corridor in Gujarat under Western Railway. The Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-Rail), the project’s implementing agency, has been directed to update the DPR in consultation with Western Railway.

Earlier, Indian Railways had proposed integrating SilverLine with the existing BG network to allow mixed traffic—including express, passenger, Vande Bharat, and freight trains—operating at speeds of up to 160 kmph. However, the state government had favoured a dedicated corridor to maintain efficiency. The revised BG approach largely retains the project’s structure while offering greater operational flexibility.

In parallel, the Railways has approved surveys for major capacity expansion projects across Kerala’s rail network. These include third and fourth lines on the 307 km Shoranur–Mangaluru stretch and the 99 km Coimbatore–Shoranur route. Additional third lines are also planned on key corridors: Shoranur–Ernakulam (106 km), Ernakulam–Kayamkulam via Kottayam (115 km), Kayamkulam–Thiruvananthapuram (105 km), and Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil (71 km).

News by Rahul Yelligetti.