The ground is set for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed 510-km third and fourth rail line from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod to improve connectivity and operate more trains to the State.
The Paris-based engineering and consulting group Systra has been appointed general consultant for preparing the DPR, which includes traffic study, initial design, and financial model. It also includes, among other aspects, the internal rate of return for laying the line on a cost-sharing basis between Railways and the State through Kerala Railway Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL).
A KRDCL board meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Tom Jose on October 4 gave the nod for appointing Systra as the general consultant.
“The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) has been issued to them based on the nod from the board,” managing director of the KRDCL V. Ajith Kumar told The Hindu on Wednesday.
The general consultancy contract with the KRDCL, a special purpose vehicle floated in January 2017 to execute viable rail projects on a 51:49 cost-sharing basis, will be for three years.
The Paris-based firm has an Indian subsidiary, Systra MVA Consulting India Pvt Ltd. The general consultant should submit a pre-feasibility report in three months and the final report - DPR- in six months. “The consultancy fee will be based on the mandays-month model,” the KRDCL MD said.
Though the KRDCL had invited Expression of Interest (EOI), the board has now decided to limit the general consultancy for the time being to the third and fourth rail line.
New lines parallel to the existing ones, elevated line on stretches where the gradient is steep and curvature is high with two-tier railway stations, and the alignment proposed for the high-speed rail corridor worked out by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) away from the existing rail corridor are the three options while laying the new lines. The odds are in favour of the first option.