3 min readUpdated: Jul 26, 2026 04:46 PM IST
Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line project: The Angamaly-Sabarimala railway line project has moved forward as the Kerala government began land acquisition. The project is expected to improve connectivity to the Sabarimala pilgrimage route and strengthen rail infrastructure in the region. The railway project in Kerala falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Southern Railway (SR) zone.
In a written statement in the Lok Sabha on July 22, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: “Now, on the request of Govt. of India, the Govt. of Keralam has initiated land acquisition proceedings and the Angamaly-Sabarimala new line project has moved forward. Ministry of Railways is following up the land acquisition process with Govt. of Keralam.”
Vaishnaw also added that the Ministry of Railways has allocated Rs 505 crore for the Angamaly-Sabarimala railway project in FY 2026-27 to support its progress.
History of the Angamaly-Sabarimala railway project
The 111-km-long Angamaly-Sabarimala via Erumeli new rail line project was approved in 1997-98. The Union Minister said that the work on 7-km-long Angamali-Kaladi section and long lead works on the 10-km Kaladi-Perumbavoor section had been taken up. However, the project could not move forward due to protests by people over land acquisition and the rail alignment, court cases, and inadequate support from the Kerala government.
“The estimated cost of the Angamali-Sabarimala via Erumeli new line project was updated at Rs 3,801 crore and submitted to Government of Keralam for the acceptance of the estimate and willingness to share cost of the project,” he said.
Vaishnaw said that in August 2024, the Kerala government gave its conditional consent for the project. The Ministry of Railways then asked the state government to provide unconditional consent for sharing the project’s cost.
“Then the Minister of Railways requested the Chief Minister of Keralam to acquire land using their share of 50% of the cost of the project,” he added.
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The minister added that of the 302 hectares of land required for the project, only 25 hectares have been acquired so far, while 279 hectares are still to be acquired.
Sabari rail project: Route, station list
The Sabari railway project will have 14 stations. These are: Angamaly, Kalady, Perumbavoor, Odakkali, Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Vazhakulam, Thodaopuzha, Karimkunnam, Ramapuram, Bharananganam, Chemmalamattom, Kanjirappally and Erumeli.