The ambitious ₹56,443-crore semi-high-speed rail (SHSR) corridor from Kochuveli here to Kasaragod for traversing 531.45 km in four hours has received the in-principle approval of the Centre.
A December 17 letter from Director, MTP, Railway Board, D.K. Mishra giving the approval for taking pre-investment activities of laying the third and fourth rail lines of the State has reached the office of Chief Secretary Tom Jose.
With the clearance, Kerala Railway Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), the special purpose vehicle that executes ‘viable’ projects on a cost-sharing basis between the State and Railways, can commence preliminary works for the SHSR that had already been cleared by the State Cabinet in August.
Silver Line
Named Silver Line, it will be away from the existing rail line on the 300-km Kochuveli-Shoranur section and parallel to the existing line from Thirunavaya to Kasaragod with railway bypasses at Vadakara and Thalaserry.
The third and fourth lines will traverse through 11 districts, except Alappuzha, Idukki, and Wayanad.
Railway role
“Railways have agreed to be part of the SHSR project. The KRDCL can make an initial investment of ₹100 crore for the project and the State can initiate steps to acquire 1,226.45 hectares,” Managing Director of the KRDCL V. Ajith Kumar told The Hindu .
Besides, the nod has given the mandate to go ahead with preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and designs for bridges.
The Paris-based engineering and consulting group Systra has found that the third and fourth green corridors can be completed by 2024 and that dedicated lines to the Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin airports with stations for inter-modal transport financially feasible. The KRDCL has commenced steps for preparation of the DPR. Already, the KRDCL have issued work orders for field survey by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a remote sensing survey method used to know terrain using aircraft, to GeoKno India.
The inspection of the helicopter to be used for the survey will be carried out by DGCA officials in New Delhi on December 20, he added.
Nine-car train
Nine-car air-conditioned electric multiple unit semi-high-speed 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.
