NEW DELHI (Metro Rail News): Kerala is soon expected to join India’s future bullet train map. An expert committee of 4 members was appointed by UDFC to examine the proposed Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed rail project based on an interim report prepared by the “Metro Man of India”, E. Sreedharan. The expert committee is led by the secretary, transport (railways), including railway expert J. Vinayan, finance and environment experts, Dr C. Veeramani and Sridhar Radhakrishnan. The report will be submitted this week.
As stated in a government order issued by the Transport Department, DMRC has prepared and submitted an interim report for the proposed high speed rail project. The Kerala High Speed Rail Project is planned as a 473.20-km standard-gauge corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.
DMRC has briefed the Kerala Government about the project implementation plans and urged the state to assign the project to DMRC on a turnkey basis highlighting the successful implementation of the Kochi Metro project. DMRC has assured the state that the project will be completed within five years without delays as the entire line is planned to be constructed fully elevated or underground as mentioned in the interim report, significantly decreasing surface land requirements and minimising local protests.
The Kerala High Speed Rail Project is expected to link all four airports in Kerala and facilitate public transit to regions with no rail connectivity. A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said, “Crucially, this line can easily be integrated into the cross-country high-speed network managed by NHSRCL, ensuring that Kerala does not remain isolated from India’s future bullet map”.
The weekly brief metro & rail professionals read.
The estimated cost of the entire corridor is ₹57,000 crore, with the final completion cost of approximately Rs 60,000 crore. According to DMRC, the project will eventually have the capacity to carry 2.28 lakh passengers a day. The energy requirements of the entire corridor will be completed by captive solar power. The travel fare on this line will be significantly lower as the operational and maintenance cost of this project is expected to be two-third compared to normal railway lines.
The report also mentions the future plans of extending this line to Kasaragod and developing branch lines connecting Kozhikode and Kalpetta, Pattambi and Palakkad, and Thrissur and Palakkad.
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