Kerala’s UDF govt scraps K-Rail project launched by LDF

The Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, decided to cancel the K-Rail (SilverLine) semi-high-speed rail project from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.

Speaking at the press conference held after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said that all lands acquired for the project will be de-notified and the yellow concrete signs marking the prospective line will be removed.

However, the Prime Minister did not rule out the possibility of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government developing its own semi-high-speed rail project. He said the government was “not opposed to a rail project that would not impact the State environmentally or financially”.

Cases to be withdrawn

“We are not against high-speed rail projects. We opposed K-Rail as it was an environmental disaster and was not economically viable. The K-Rail project did not have a proper detailed project report (DPR). The LDF government had abandoned the project and alternative projects were being discussed. Unfortunately, the lands acquired for the project were not notified, so people suffered as they could not sell or pledge their own properties. All cases linked to the agitation will be withdrawn,” he said.

Anti-K-Rail SilverLine People’s Struggle Committee had on Tuesday urged Mr. Satheesan to issue an order to withdraw the SilverLine project. Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, Mr. Satheesan had said that the UDF would de-notify the land acquired for SilverLine if voted to power.

The state had witnessed strong protests led by the UDF against the project since 2022. Revenue investigators have faced fierce opposition from Congressional staff in many places. Party workers had used the dismantling of the yellow signs as a symbolic form of protest against the project. The land use battle over the SilverLine alignment boundary resonated in Parliament with the UDF striking over police action against long-time local residents who resisted the laying of signs for the semi-high-speed rail project for fear of displacement.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also opposed the project; State leaders say the project lacks Central approval and hence lacks credibility. The LDF government had made several unsuccessful attempts to get approval from the Union government.