The Railways are planning to complete the doubling of the 620-km line from Mangaluru Junction via Kottayam to Thiruvananthapuram Central by December 2021 and the 86.56-km up to Kanniyakumari by December 2024.
Doubling via Alappuzha to Kayamkulam will be completed by December 2024 as three corridors that were entangled in disputes over cost-sharing with the State were defrozen. The process to sanction detailed estimate of three corridors is on the Railway Board. The 18.13-km Haripad-Ambalappuzha sector will be commissioned in February 2021.
The doubling from Mangaluru to Kanniyakumari and the development of Kochuveli terminal and coaching terminal at Nemom will help the to bring more trains to the south and improve the services, John Thomas, General Manager, Southern Railway, said at a virtual press meet on Tuesday from Chennai.
The Phase II of Kochuveli terminal has been sanctioned. Mr. Thomas said the zonal railways have approached the Railway Board for ₹250 crore this year for completing the Nemom coaching terminal and for another ₹250 crore next year for Phase II. The aim is to complete the coaching terminal along with the doubling up to Kanniyakumari.
The General Manager said the Railways have given in principal approval for the SilverLine, the semi high speed rail (SHSR) corridor from Kochuveli to Kasaragod to be executed on cost-sharing. “We have given our comments to the DPR and alignment submitted by K-Rail and the Railway Board is scrutinising it”, he said.
The Railways have decided to float tenders for new lines only after the land acquisition is completed and handed over, Mr. Thomas said. The new directive will come as a hurdle for rail projects that were launched without even initiating steps for land acquisition, the examples being Sabari railway and Nemom coaching terminal.
The Railways have increased the sectional speed in the Mulanthuruthy-Piravom Road to 90 kmph, Thiruvalla-Changanacherry up line to 75 kmph and Changanacherry-Chingavanam up line to 75 kmph. The speed of freight trains have also been increased to 46 kmph for faster delivery of goods.
Listing out the slew of measures taken for checking COVID-19 in Railways, Mr. Thomas said the Southern Railways also enabled the travel of 7.35 lakh migrant labourers during the pandemic-induced lockdown by operating 507 Shramik Specials, including 265 from Kerala. He listed the freight incentive schemes, concessions and discounts available for freight customers and the crucial role played by zone’s Business Development Units as one stop solution for handling freight and parcel proposals.
