A new traffic and transportation survey for the proposed semi-high-speed rail (SHSR) corridor from Kochuveli, near here, to Kasaragod has revealed a daily ridership of 73,000 in 2024 when the ₹66,079-crore project being executed jointly by Railways and the State government is commissioned. The survey has been conducted by the Pilani-based P.K. Engineers.
Earlier, the Paris-based engineering and consulting group Systra had prepared a feasibility report based on the data provided by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Systra had projected a ridership of 67,740 in 2024. The projection of an increase in ridership has come at a time when Railways have given the in-principle approval for the project. The 531.45-km distance can be covered in four hours, with 10 stops in 11 districts of the State, compared to the present 12 hours.
Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) expects a substantial increase in the ridership for the base years of 2028, 2040 and 2051. The peak hour per direction traffic will also go up from the present projections of 1,330 in 2024, 1,640 in 2028, 2,460 in 2040 and 3,100 in 2051.
“The traffic study is over and the draft report is being prepared,” according to V. Ajith Kumar, Managing Director, KRDCL, the joint venture company set up to execute viable rail infrastructure projects between the State and Railways.
The KRDCL has also received the first draft of the mandatory environment study carried out by the Thiruvananthapuram-based Centre for Environment Development. Anand Raj Infratech Pvt Ltd. of Patna will do the work for soil investigation for laying the third and fourth lines away from the existing line in the 300-km Kochuveli-Shoranur section and parallel to the existing one from Thirunavaya to Kasaragod.
The groundwork for the field survey, to be undertaken by the Hyderabad-based GeoKno using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a remote sensing survey method, is progressing.
Freight transport
Besides benefiting all categories of passengers, the corridor will serve as a major line of freight transport, which is now mostly hauled by trucks along highways.
