The Cabinet has given its clearance for the alignment of the ambitious ₹56,443-crore semi-high speed rail (SHSR) corridor from Kochuveli to Kasaragod for traversing the 532-km in four hours.
The third and fourth railway lines of the State will be away from the existing one in the 300-km Kochuveli-Shoranur section and parallel to the existing line from Thirunavaya to Kasaragod with railway bypasses at Vadakara and Thalaserry. It will traverse 11 districts, except Alappuzha, Idukki and Wayanad.
The alignment mooted in the feasibility report by the Paris-based engineering and consulting group Systra was presented to the Ministers on Wednesday morning by V. Ajith Kumar, Managing Director, Kerala Railway Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up to execute ‘viable’ projects on a cost-sharing basis between the State and Railways.
The train will move at 200 km an hour to cover the north-south rail corridor with stoppages at Kochuveli, Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Kumar said the SHSR fare would be ₹2.75 a km with an annual hike of 7.5 per cent. The train will be be able to ferry 675 passengers and the coach will have a three plus two configuration with a business class.
Only 1,226.45 hectares would have to be acquired for laying the track and building stations and 6,395 structures/families will be affected. Systra has found the third and fourth green corridor to be completed by 2024 and dedicated railway lines to the Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin international airports with railway stations for inter-modal transport ‘financially feasible.’
With the nod for the alignment, he said the feasibility report would be forwarded to Railways for their in-principle approval. The KRDCL has already commenced steps for the preparation of Detailed Project Report.
