High-speed rail travel for Keralites, from north to south, is likely to remain a distant dream, despite the three political fronts in Kerala being vocal about it in their election manifestos ahead of the Assembly elections. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has promised to continue efforts for a high-speed rail route from north to south in Kerala while the United Democratic Alliance (UDF) election manifesto has proposed a high-speed rail corridor in collaboration with Indian Railways, along with the implementation of a metro or light metro systems in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) election manifesto has promised a green high-speed railway network connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, reducing travel time to three hours and fifteen minutes. However, the Union government had kept the detailed project report (DPR) of the semi-high-speed rail project submitted by Kerala under the wraps for years.
A reply from Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Parliament about the high-speed rail project in Kerala suggests that the Centre has no immediate plans for such a project. Instead, the focus will be on enhancing the speed potential of the existing rail network in the State. This includes adding a third and fourth line to various stretches of the railway system.
