Transport

Roads Main article: Roads in Kerala KSRTC is the major agency providing long-haul public bus service in South Kerala.

Kerala has 145,704 kilometres (90,536 mi) of roads; it accounts for 4.2% of India's total. This translates to about 4.62 kilometres (2.87 mi) of road per thousand population, compared to an average of 2.59 kilometres (1.61 mi) in the country. Roads in Kerala include 1,524 km of national highway; it is 2.6% of the nation's total, 4341.6 km of state highway and 18900 km of district roads. Most of Kerala's west coast is accessible through two national highways: NH 47 and NH 17, and the eastern side is accessible through various state highways. There is also a hill highway proposed, to make easy access to eastern hills. National Highway 17 with the longest stretch of 421 km connects Edapally to Panvel; it starts from Kochi and passes through Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod before entering Karnataka.

The Department of Public Works is responsible for maintaining and expanding the state highways system and major district roads. The Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), which includes the GIS-based Road Information and Management Project (RIMS), is responsible for maintaining and expanding the state highways in Kerala; it also oversees a few major district roads. Traffic in Kerala has been growing at a rate of 10–11% every year, resulting in high traffic and pressure on the roads. Road density is nearly four times the national average, reflecting the state's high population density. Kerala's annual total of road accidents is among the nation's highest. The accidents are mainly the result of the narrow roads and irresponsible driving . National Highways in Kerala are the narrowest compared to other parts of the country and will remain so for unforeseeable future, as Kerala state government has requested and got special approval(exemption) for narrow national highways in the state compared to other parts of the country. In Kerala, highways will be 45-meters wide, where as in other states National Highways are minimum 4 lane, 60-meters wide, grade separated highways as well as 6/8 lane access-controlled expressways. NHAI has threatened the kerala state government that it will give high priority to other states in highway development as political commitment to the better highways has been lacking from the government, although State had the highest road accident rate in the country, with most fatal accidents taking place along the State’s NHs.

Railways The main Portico of the Trivandrum Central Railway Station Ernakulam Town North Railway Station a view from Ernakulam north bridge

The Indian Railways' Southern Railway line runs through the state connecting most of the major towns and cities except those in the highland districts of Idukki and Wayanad. Major railway transport between Beypore–Tirur began on 12 March 1861, from Shoranur–Cochin Harbour section in 1902, from Shenkottai–Punalur on 26 November 1904, from Nilambur-Shoranur in 1927, from Punalur–Thiruvananthapuram on 4 November 1931, from Ernakulam–Kottayam in 1956, from Kottayam–Kollam in 1958, from Thiruvananthapuram–Kanyakumari in 1979 and from Thrissur-Guruvayur Section in 1994.

The railway network in the state is controlled by two out of six divisions of Southern Railway; Thiruvananthapuram Railway division and Palakkad Railway Division. Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC) is the busiest railway station and second busiest in the Southern Railway Zone after Chennai Central. Kerala's major railway stations are Kannur (CAN), Kozhikode (CLT), Tirur (TIR), Shornur Junction (SRR), Palakkad Junction (PGT), Thrissur Railway Station (TCR), Aluva (AWY), Ernakulam Town (North) (ERN), Ernakulam Junction (South) (ERS), Alappuzha (ALLP), Kottayam (KTYM), Tiruvalla (TRVL), Chengannur (CNGR), Kayamkulam Junction (KYJ), Kollam Junction (QLN) and Thiruvananthapuram Central (TVC).

Airports Cochin International Airport (CIAL) State Water Transport Department is the main agency providing inland water transport facilities.

Kerala has three major international airports; Cochin International Airport, Trivandrum International Airport and Calicut International Airport. Two international airports were proposed, at Kannur and Pathanamthitta as of 2008. The Cochin International Airport is the busiest and largest in the state, and was the first Indian airport to be incorporated as a public limited company; it was funded by nearly 10,000 non-resident Indians from 30 countries.

Inland water transport Junkar Service Fort Cochin

As Kerala has numerous backwaters, waterways are used for commercial inland navigation. The transportation is mainly done with country craft and passenger vessels. There are 67 navigable rivers in the state. The total length of the inland waterways in the state is 1687 km. The main constraints to the expansion of inland navigation are lack of depth in the waterway caused by silting, lack of maintenance of navigation system and bank protection, accelerated growth of the water hyacinth, lack of modern inland craft terminals, and lack of a cargo handling system. A 205 km canal, National Waterway 3, runs between Kottapuram and Kollam.