The 531.45-km greenfield semi-high speed rail (SHSR) corridor from Kochuveli to Kasaragod will be completed in three years once land is acquired and the 585-km West Coast Canal (WCC) from Kovalam to Bekal, the main arterial waterway, will be opened for transportation in 2020-2021.
He said 95% of transportation in Kerala depended on roads at present, which is not at all desirable. “There will be an eco-friendly fundamental change in the transport structure when the waterway and rail development are added,” Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said in the 2020-2021 Budget.
Silverline, the SHSR announced in the previous budget, was going to be a reality and it would be the work requiring the highest investment, Dr. Isaac said. Its aerial survey had been completed and the alignment would be finalised soon. Land acquisition procedures for the corridor would start in 2020.
International agencies were keen to invest in the SHSR that would have a new service road and five townships. Even though there would be 10 stations, there would be short-distance trains to 28 feeder stations. The ro-ro facility for transporting vehicles and freight at night would be available in the SHSR. One-third of the ticket charge was expected as non-ticket revenue.
Dr. Isaac said discussions were going on for loan at lower rate from international agencies, including Japan Development Agency, with 40 or more years of repayment period. Some major investment organisations had also come forward for investing in the development of townships.
Stating that the waterway from Bekal to Kovalam would be opened for transportation in 2020-21, Dr. Isaac said 40-m width would be ensured for the WCC by 2025.
He said 50% of freight could be shifted through the waterway once this was achieved and this would give an impetus to tourism. A scheme for linking waterways with three international airports, minor ports, and industrial commercial centre was being prepared, he said.
