Govt winds up high-speed rail project

Thiruvananthapuram: After years of dilly dallying, the state government has decided to wind up Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (KHRC), finally. This has put an end to the multi-crore rail project which was expected to connect Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram in two hours. So far, around Rs 25 crore has gone down the drains for preparatory works.
A corporation to implement high-speed rail corridor connecting the north and south of the state was formed in 2009. The government decided to scrap KHRC after Railways and Kerala rail development corporation decided to give priority to the semi-high speed rail project.

Around Rs 1.2 lakh crore was estimated to be the cost of the project. The project has invited criticism initially itself as it was found to be unviable due to high project cost. Opposition also gained momentum in different parts of the state when survey works for the project began. The 430km project envisaged to connect north and south of the state in around 120 minutes. The high-speed rail was expected to connect Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi in just 45 minutes.

Of the Rs 25 crore spent so far, Rs 17 crore was paid to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Ltd for the preparation of the detailed project report. It had submitted pre-feasibility report of the project. The DMRC, however, is yet to submit the DPR.

KHRC was headed by former bureaucrat T Balakrishnan. He said that KHRC was well informed about the plans to wind up after discussions began on semi-high speed project. “The semi-high-speed project is more feasible,” he said.

The semi-high-speed rail will be implemented by Kerala rail development corporation, which is a joint venture of Railways and state government. The estimated cost of semi-high speed rail is Rs 46,769 crore. Under the new project, third and fourth lines are planned to be constructed along the existing railway line between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, which is highly saturated. The average speed possible in the existing railway lines is limited to 45 kmph due to sharp curves and old alignment. The new lines are planned as straight alignment to suit semi-high speed of 180 kmph.