The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Kochuveli-Kasaragod semi-high speed rail corridor, Silver Line, estimated to cost ₹63,941 crore, has got the Cabinet nod.
The Cabinet on Wednesday also approved the changes to the alignment proposed in the DPR submitted by Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (K-Rail), a joint venture of Railways and the State.
Railway passes
As per the changes in the alignment, two railway bypasses will be built along the 57.5-km Vadakara-Thalassery corridor and the proposed third and fourth line will skip Mahe.
While the Kasaragod-Tirur corridor will run parallel to the existing line, the Tirur-Kochuveli section will deviate from the existing line.
The stations will be at Kochuveli, Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Cochin Airport, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.
The work is expected to be completed in five years.
The DPR will now go for the approval of the Railway Board, NITI Aayog and the Union Cabinet. The project has received the in-principle approval from the Ministry of Railways. V. Ajith Kumar, Managing Director, K-Rail, told The Hindu that the DPR would be forwarded once the government order was issued.
Trains will be able to run up to a speed of 200 kmph on the two-lane greenfield corridor. The line will be laid through areas with low population density in 15-25-metre width to minimise the acquisition of land.
Four hours
It is estimated that from the capital, one can reach Kasaragod in four hours, covering 529.45 km through 11 districts.
The running time for the Kochuveli-Ernakulam stretch will be one-and-a-half hours. Of the project cost, 53% will be raised as loan from multilateral lending agencies. The remaining will be met by the Central and State governments and from the public.
“Besides fast-tracking the State’s overall development, the project will impart greater momentum to the economic activity in the post-COVID-19 recessionary phase,” he said.
