The Union Railway Ministry has approved ₹324.16 crore for doubling the Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha rail line (12.66 km) and ₹163.57 crore for the Palakkad Town-Parli bypass line (1.8 km) in Kerala. A Railways statement said the Alappuzha project will remove a critical single-line bottleneck on the Ernakulam-Turavur-Kayankulam route. "Once completed, it will enable nine additional passenger trains per day in each direction, add 2.88 million tonnes per annum of freight capacity, and generate additional annual earnings of ₹3.23 crore," it said. This project will reduce train detentions and improve operational efficiency for passenger and freight services. The Palakkad bypass will eliminate engine reversal at Palakkad Junction for several trains. This will cut average passenger train delays by 40-44 minutes and freight train delays by up to 2 hours. It will also support new passenger services and ease congestion at one of Southern Railway’s busiest junctions. The bypass is expected to improve train punctuality on routes to Shoranur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Pollachi by streamlining train movements.