KERALA (Metro Rail News): The ambitious, semi-high speed rail project named ‘Silver Line’ got approval from the Kerala govt on Wednesday with ₹66,000 cr, that is seen as a game-changer project to recast infrastructure & economic development.
It would decrease the travel time from its northern tip, Kasargod district – the southernmost district Thiruvananthapuram by just 4 hrs from 12 hrs using the current Indian Railway trains.
The communist govt has declared in its term that the project is the biggest one by approaching end next year and is taken to life a decade long discussions about it in the state.
Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala CM announced by a Facebook post that the cabinet has passed an alignment and DPR for the project. The state will propose financial institutions & the nationalised banks to allocate funds for the project’s land acquisition.
Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) will also provide loans along with the German state-owned bank KfW Group, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, he further added.
“The 531 km long path will be made between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasargod. The trains will operate as faster as 180-200 kmph. One can reach Ernakulam in 1.5 hours as before it took 5 hrs and Kasargod in four hours from Thiruvananthapuram.
The train will have 9 coaches with a capacity of 645 commuters at a time. There will be 2 kinds of classes, business & standard. The project expected deadline will be 2025 including Kochi airport, there will be eleven stations,” said Vijayan.
The implementing agency for the double-line project, Kerala Rail Development Co (KRDCL) had recently received approval for the proposal to the Ministry of Railways for establishing 3rd and 4th lines from Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod.
As per the proposal, it will be a JV of the Kerala govt & the Ministry of Railways. While implementation, the project is supposed to create 50,000 jobs & employment for 11,000 on completion.
