A peninsular railway zone with headquarters in Kerala figures as the top priority item in the critical railway projects taken up by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
The Coach Factory at Kanjikode in Palakkad, wagon-building unit in Alappuzha, and a Rapid Rail Transit System in Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur section had found a place on the list submitted by the State.
Periodic overhauling and coach repair and maintenance centres in the State and the need for the completion of the doubling, electrification and gauge conversion works had been highlighted by the State.
Airport connectivityThe State has also sought allocation for rail connectivity to the fourth international airport of the State coming up in Kannur and new railway lines including the Nilambur-Nanjangud and Angamaly-Sabari railway lines.
The upgrade of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode stations also figure in the list.
The Chief Minister has sought personal attention of Mr. Modi for the sufficient budget provisions in the financial year 2014-15 for the realization of these projects.
In the security front, the State has asked the Railways to clear the proposal to create 1,503 posts of Railway Protection Force personnel in the State to take care of the security needs. More ladies coaches had also been mooted for enhancing their safety.
