Sreedharan seeks public support for Kerala high-speed rail plan

Veteran technocrat and erstwhile Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) president E. Sreedharan is pressing up with his projected high-speed obstruction corridor betwixt Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur contempt doubts astir its feasibility.

Mr. Sreedharan launched a nationalist consciousness run present connected Monday, outlining the imaginable benefits of the project. However, the inaugural has drawn attraction arsenic neither the State nor the Union authorities has expressed involvement successful taking it forward. The Centre has truthful acold neither endorsed nor rejected the proposal.

The State authorities and ruling parties person besides kept their region from the plan, partially due to the fact that Mr. Sreedharan has positioned it arsenic an alternate to the State’s K-Rail project, which has since been shelved.

The State authorities besides remains astatine likelihood with him aft helium legally challenged a projected span crossed the Bharatapuzha linking Tavanur and Tirunavaya citing spiritual concerns.

Speaking astatine Malappuram, Mr. Sreedharan said helium would proceed campaigns to rise consciousness astir the task crossed the State. “If implemented, it volition greatly payment the people. The enactment tin beryllium extended to Mangaluru and further to Mumbai. One could question from Mangaluru to Mumbai successful six hours,” helium said.

Less than ₹1 lakh crore

Originally estimated astatine ₹1 lakh crore, the task has been revised to ₹56,500 crore and could beryllium completed successful 5 years, helium said, noting that the outgo would beryllium little than the ₹63,941-crore K-Rail project.

Mr. Sreedharan said the Kerala High Speed Rail (KHSR) task would trim roadworthy congestion, chopped contamination and substance depletion and amended connectivity crossed the State. Travel betwixt Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur would instrumentality astir 3 hours and 20 minutes.

The projected corridor, linking the airports astatine Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur, would tally 445 km connected elevated tracks and astir 20 km underground. At the Malappuram event, a tiny assemblage demanded that the enactment see a presumption successful the town.

Mr. Sreedharan said the web could aboriginal beryllium extended to Kasaragod, Kalpetta and Palakkad. Trains would tally astatine a maximum velocity of 180 kmph with an mean commercialized velocity of 140 kmph.

He has projected a Centre-State associated venture, with 51 per cent and 49 per cent stakes respectively, modelled connected the Konkan Railway. Of the full cost, 70 per cent would beryllium borne by the governments and the remaining 30 per cent raised done indebtedness oregon bonds. Under this model, the Centre’s stock would beryllium ₹20,171 crore and the State’s ₹19,380 crore.