Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan says the Centre's political views have hurt the SilverLine rail project's future in Kerala. Meanwhile, the Bairabi-Sairang railway line in Mizoram, a tough and costly project, was recently opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This new railway is ₹8,071 crore and crosses difficult terrain with 48 tunnels, 143 bridges, and the country's second tallest railway pier bridge. It covers just 52 km but required huge engineering. The project is expected to serve nearly 11 lakh people in Mizoram and may extend further towards the Myanmar border. In comparison, the SilverLine project covers 530 km, has fewer tunnels (11.53 km), and mostly passes over viaducts and embankments. It aims to benefit 3.34 crore people in Kerala but faces hurdles from the Centre asking for project revisions. A senior Kerala official said, "We cannot accept this suggestion as it is aimed at shelving the project for political gains." Mizoram Governor V.K. Singh said the railway will transform tourism and transportation in Mizoram. Despite the challenges, the Centre is yet to clear SilverLine due to environmental and technical demands while pushing integration with slower existing lines. This contrasting progress places focus on political influences shaping key rail infrastructure.