Indian Railways (IR) has approved the doubling of the 10.65-km Mararikulam- Alappuzha section of Southern Railway (SR) at a sanctioned cost of ₹220.51 crore. The project has been approved under the umbrella work for doubling, tripling, quadrupling, flyover and bypass works aimed at augmenting capacity of the SR network.
The Mararikulam-Alappuzha section is presently the only remaining single-line stretch on the Ernakulam – Turavur Alappuzha – Ambalapuzha – Kayankulam corridor, where other doubling works have already been commissioned or are under implementation.
The project has demonstrated strong economic viability, with a Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) of 3.99 per cent and an Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 22.30 per cent.
Upon completion, the project is expected to facilitate the operation of 9 additional passenger trains in each direction per day and support freight traffic of 2.88 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The doubling work is also projected to generate additional net earnings of approximately ₹3.08 crore annually through enhanced passenger and freight movement.
The project will improve operational efficiency and punctuality by reducing detention of trains, increase line capacity and strengthen connectivity leading to faster and smoother train operations. The proposal was identified under Mission 3000 MT and the High Density Traffic Network Corridor of Indian Railways.
