Sreedharan unveils ₹56,500 crore high-speed rail plan

Veteran technocrat E. Sreedharan on Tuesday (February 24, 2026) unveiled a revised high-speed rail plan that would cut travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur to three hours and 20 minutes. He has positioned it as an alternative to the State government’s shelved K-Rail project.

Speaking at Ponnani, he presented the Kerala High Speed Rail (KHSR) as a fast, affordable and green corridor linking the airports at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur.

Estimated to cost ₹56,500 crore, lower than K-Rail’s ₹63,941 crore, the project aims to ease road congestion, curb pollution and fuel use, and improve Statewide connectivity.

The line will span 445 km on elevated tracks and 20 km underground, covering Pathanamthitta and Malappuram with 20 stations, including terminals at Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur. It can be extended to Kasargod, Kalpetta and Palakkad in a second phase.

KHSR will run on a double-track standard gauge with no physical integration with existing lines, though most stations will be located near current railway stations. Trains will operate at a maximum speed of 180 kmph and an average commercial speed of 140 kmph.

Initially, eight-coach trains will run every 30 minutes during peak hours and hourly at other times, carrying an estimated 45,000 passengers daily. With 12-coach trains at five-minute intervals, the capacity can rise to five lakh passengers a day.

5-year project

Restricting operations to passenger services alone can cut costs by about 20%, said Mr. Sreedharan. The project is expected to be completed in five years.

The corridor will draw on solar power, and the average fare between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur is projected at ₹780, which will be comparable to Southern Railway’s AC chair car. Only a 20-m-wide strip of land will be required along elevated sections.

Mr. Sreedharan proposed a Centre-State joint venture with 51% and 49% stakes respectively, modelled on the Konkan Railway. Of the total cost, 70% would be borne by the governments and 30% raised through debt or bonds. The Centre’s share would be ₹20,171 crore and the State’s ₹19,380 crore, translating to annual contributions of ₹4,034 crore and ₹3,876 crore respectively.

Mr. Sreedharan said nearly 70% of passengers would shift from road to rail, cutting carbon emissions by 660 tonnes and saving over 82 tonnes of fuel daily. Reduced congestion can halve road fatalities. The elevated piles, spaced at 30-metre intervals, would also help recharge groundwater during the monsoon, he added..