Railways’ Move to Shift Mangaluru Region From Palakkad Division Is Gross Injustice to Keralam: John Brittas

New Delhi: CPI(M) MP John Brittas has termed the Railway Board’s move to shift the Mangaluru region from the Palakkad Division to the Mysuru Division a grave injustice to Keralam. The MP has written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw demanding that the decision be withdrawn immediately.

The Railway Board has decided to transfer the section from Ullal to Mangaluru, currently under the Palakkad Division of Southern Railway, to the Mysuru Division of South Western Railway. Brittas said the move would weaken the Palakkad Division and deal a major blow to railway development in Keralam. In his letter, he urged that the Palakkad Division, one of the oldest railway divisions in post-Independence India, be protected.

When the Palakkad Division was formed in 1956, it had jurisdiction over 1,247.58 route kilometres. Following several divisions over the years, its jurisdiction has now been reduced to 582.7 route kilometres. The biggest loss came in 2007 with the formation of the Salem Division, when Palakkad lost around 550 route kilometres. The proposed division will further weaken Palakkad, which is already among the 10 smallest railway divisions in the country.

More than 90 per cent of the Palakkad Division’s freight revenue and over half of its total revenue currently come from the Mangaluru region. The transfer would result in an annual revenue loss of around ₹1,000 crore for the division. The loss of the Panambur Freight and Marshalling Yard, which handles large-scale freight movement linked to the Mangaluru port, would seriously affect the division’s operations.

The division would also lose adequate pitline facilities, making it difficult to introduce new trains and operate special services during peak periods. This would leave Kerala increasingly dependent on railway divisions in neighbouring states.

The Centre had announced the Kanjikode railway coach factory against the backdrop of protests in Keralam over the formation of the Salem Division. However, the Union government officially confirmed in a Rajya Sabha reply to Brittas on July 31, 2026, that the Kanjikode railway coach factory project, for which the foundation stone was laid in 2012, had been abandoned. The further division of the Palakkad Division comes as another setback, Brittas said.

He also criticised the decision for being taken without consultations with the Kerala government, MPs from the state, railway employees and other stakeholders.

Brittas said the Railways could develop Mangaluru as a major railway hub and address its legitimate requirements while retaining it within the Palakkad Division. The Mangaluru region has its strongest railway connectivity with Keralam. As many as 47 pairs of trains, including two Vande Bharat services, operate between the Kozhikode-Mangaluru region. The capacity of the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat has also been increased to 20 coaches in response to passenger demand.

At a time when preparations for the Detailed Project Report for the Mangaluru-Kasaragod-Shoranur third railway line are progressing, the administrative division could create further complications, he said.

Brittas pointed out that the move comes when Keralam’s long-standing demands, including a separate railway zone, and several earlier promises remain unfulfilled. He urged the Railway Minister to immediately withdraw the decision, which is proposed to come into effect from October 1.