KOCHI: The long-standing demand for a railway overbridge at Vaduthala might soon become a reality. The Railway Board has approved the new alignment. The lack of an ROB at Vaduthala has been one of the reasons cited by the Railways for the cancellation of train services to the Cochin Harbour Terminus.
According to a railway officer, all the objections raised by the Indian Navy regarding the height of the bridge have been resolved. “We have reduced the height to 5.7m. The Navy objected to the earlier height fearing that it might cause problems for the planes taking off from the INS Garuda airport,” said the officer.
The construction has been divided into two parts. “The part that covers the tracks on the railway property will be built by the Railways and the approach roads to the ROB will be constructed by the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala (RBDCK),” said the officer.
“Once RBDCK completes its work, the Railways will go ahead with its part of the implementation,” said the officer. However, it might take some time to get the trains running on the track. According to the railway officer, since the route is not electrified, train service to Cochin Harbour Terminus might not happen anytime soon. “The Navy objects to the installation of electric lines in the area near its airport,” said the officer.
According to Hibi Eden, MP, he got funds allocated for the Vaduthala ROB in the 2016-17 state budget.
“An amount of Rs 47.5 crore was allocated from KIIFB for the project. RBDCK had drawn up a plan and submitted the same to the Railway Board for approval,” he added.
However, the board suggested some changes in the DPR as a part of the doubling of Shoranur - Ernakulam route. Following this, a meeting of the railway officials and the stakeholders was called by the MP and a new DPR was formulated. “We hope an estimate for the construction of the bridge can be prepared in two weeks,” added Hibi. “The land acquisition process will be carried out in such a manner that not many residents will be displaced,” he added. The project needs one-acre land. “Once the ROB comes into being, it will be a dream come true for the residents of Pachalam, Vaduthala and Chittoor areas in the city,” said Hibi.