Kerala semi high-speed rail’s detailed plan soon

TRIVANDRUM: A detailed project report of Kerala’s proposed semi high-speed rail (SHSR) between the northern Kasaragod town and the state capital will be ready early January.

The work on the corridor will also get underway next year itself, according to Kerala Rail Development Corporation (KRDCL) managing director V. Ajith Kumar.

“The initial steps for putting this dream project on track is progressing at a fast pace as the very project seeks to fast-track end-to-end rail traffic in the state,” he said.

“The traffic survey had been completed, and the soil testing is complete on 70 per cent of the stretch. The environmental impact study is also progressing.”

“The preliminary work on the alignment of the project will start soon, for which the approval from the authorities concerned had been obtained,” he added.

On Thrissur-kasaragod stretch, the stations will be located close to the existing railway stations, the official said, addressing a meeting in Kollam Sunday.

There will also be feeder stations, and the locations for these in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts include Attingal, Kallamblam, Paripally and Chathannur.

The trains can cover 55 km distance between

Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam in 24 minutes. From Kollam to Chengannur it would take 48 minutes, to Kottayam one hour and Ernakulam 1 hour 26 minutes.

“The SHSR will have world-class technology such as automatic train control and ticket distribution systems and state-of-the-art communication channels,” he said.

“The estimated cost of the project is Rs 564.43 billion, but this can go up to Rs 660.79 billion by the time of its completion.”

The company promoted by the state and federal governments has already started efforts to arrange low-interest loans.

“It will be the most affordable solution for

Kerala’s transportation problems as it will sharply reduce travel time from Trivandrum to Kasaragod to four hours,” he said.

Currently, it takes up to 13 hours to reach the northern town from the state capital here covering 574 km.

The SHSR also will have an integrated station at Kakkanad near Smartcity promoted by Dubai Holding where the second phase of Kochi Metro is getting extended.

As part of the Silver Line project, 27 feeder stations are planned to the ten major centres on the 532-km long rail line to ensure maximum passenger patronage.