Palakkad: Metroman E Sreedharan on Saturday said that the central government will not grant permission for the implementation of Kerala's Silverline semi-high-speed rail project. Speaking to media in Palakkad, Sreedharan also mentioned that the state is interested in the rail line he proposed as an alternative to K-Rail. The state government had begun exploring the feasibility of a similar project on a standard-gauge track between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur (430 km).

However, the new line will only be approved if the state government informs the Centre that the K-Rail project has been abandoned. Sreedharan added that the state is not moving forward with this option due to inertia. He emphasised that more efforts should be made to implement the semi-speed rail project proposal in Kerala. Additionally, he assured that full support would be provided to the alternative project if the state decides to move forward with it.