The Kerala cabinet has given its approval for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Semi High Speed Rail corridor, or the Silver Line, estimated to cost Rs 63,941 crore and expected to be completed in five years.

AS much as 53 per cent of the project cost is sought to be raised as loan from multilateral lending agencies. The remaining would be met by the Central and State governments as well as from the public, V Ajith Kumar, Managing Director of implementing agency Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-rail), a joint venture of Indian Railways and the State Government, said here.

Paris-based consultancy

The DPR was prepared by Paris.-based consultancy Systra. All vital studies for the project, one of the prestigious for the State government, had been completed already. These include an aerial LiDAR survey, environmental impact study, scientific soil testing and traffic survey, Ajith Kumar added.

“Besides fast-tracking the state’s overall development, the project will impart greater momentum to the economic activity in the post-COVID recessionary phase. It will generate a lot of jobs during and after its completion, and offer plenty of opportunities to NRKs returning home.”

Major approvals received

The DPR will now go for the approval of Railway Board, NITI Aayog and the Union Cabinet. The project has already received the in-principle approval from the Ministry of Railways. Trains will be able to run up to a speed of 200 km/hr on the two-lane Greenfield corridor.

By considerably reducing the dependence on road traffic, it will substantially save fuel cost. By modest estimates, no less than 500 trucks will be taken off the road per day. This will not only decongest the roads but also reduce road accidents sharply and address the problem of atmospheric pollution.

Limited land acquisition

The project is expected to also boost tourism, which is a prime source of income for the state. Each train set will have nine cars carrying 675 passengers in 2+2 seat configuration in business class and 3+2 in standard class. The trains will be powered by renewable energy, Ajith Kumar said.

The line will be laid through areas with low population density in 15-25 metre width so as to limit the acquisition of land to the barest minimum possible. The land being acquired for the project will be given good compensation under the land acquisition Act, Ajith Kumar said.

Kasaragod in four hours

Starting from Thiruvananthapuram, trains running on the Silver Line will reach Kasaragod in four hours, covering a distance of 529.45 km through 11 districts. The running time between the busy Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam-stretch will be reduced to one-and-a-half hours (from 4-5 hours now).

Silver Line will enhance connectivity with other means of transportation and network most big, medium and small towns, paving the way for decentralised development. It will ensure easy accessibility to international airports, commercial hubs, hospitals and cultural centres, Ajith Kumar pointed out.

Changes in alignment

While giving its green signal to the project, the State Cabinet also made minor changes to the alignment proposed in the DPR. The feasibility report of the project had proposed the line to pass through Mahe. But as per the changes made by the Cabinet, the line will skip Mahe.

While the Kasargod- Tirur stretch will run parallel to the existing railway, the Tirur- Thiruvananthapuram section of the Silver Line will deviate slightly. Stops along the way include Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Cochin Airport, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, and Kannur.

comment COMMENT NOW