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Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the proposed alignment of the line was running parallel to and in close proximity to the Indian Railway (IR) lines
There were many “deficiencies in the DPR”, said Ashwini Vaishnaw. (PTI File)
The Union ministry of railways on Friday said changes have been proposed in Kerala’s Silver Line to improve line capacity utilisation and integration with the existing rail network.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the proposed alignment of the line was running parallel to and in close proximity to the Indian Railway (IR) lines. There were many “deficiencies in the Detailed Project Report (DPR)”, he said.
The ministry also said that there should be planning to integrate the Silver Line, with the existing IR network at suitable points and it should adopt broad gauge for smooth integration with the IR network. “The proposed changes are aimed at improving line capacity utilisation, integration with the existing rail network,” he said.
A few weeks ago, the ministry had said that the project is not yet sanctioned.
A survey was done by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) – a joint venture of Kerala Government (51%) and Ministry of Railways (49%). The KRDCL submitted the DPR, which had “many deficiencies” as per the railways.
“KRDCL has been advised by Southern Railway to address those deficiencies and prepare revised DPR as per the latest technical standards,” the Ministry said, suggesting flatter ruling gradient, provision of Kavach, electrification with 2×25 kV and addressing environmental concerns during construction and operation phases.
THE PROJECT
Silver Line is a semi-high speed rail project that will operate between Thiruvananthapuram, the southernmost district of Kerala, and Kasaragod, the northernmost district of Kerala. It will cost Rs 63,940.67 crore and will have 11 stations, including Kochi Airport. The stations will be Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kochi Airport station, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod.
The trains on this standard gauge route will have nine chair cars that will be divided into two classes – business (2+2) and standard (3+2) – with a total capacity of 675 passengers, which can be expanded in future.
Trains will be operational on the route at 200 kmph and the distance of 530 km will be covered in around four hours. The maximum design speed for the project is 220 kmph, while the structures were designed for 250 kmph.