THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Semi High-Speed Rail (SHSR) corridor project known as ‘Silverline’ received the approval of the board of directors of Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-Rail). The board that met on April 15 gave its nod based on the DPR prepared by its consultant Systra.
The DPR for Silver Line Project was completed last month, but the meeting of the board of directors was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The detailed project report would require the approval of the state and central governments before starting the project.
Railway lines between Thiruvananthapuram and Tirur will be newly created while those between Tirur and Kasaragod will be laid parallel to the existing railway alignment. As per the DPR, the alignment of the corridor is the same as the one approved earlier as part of the feasibility report, except for some minor modifications of plus or minus 10 to 50 metres to avoid religious or heritage structures. The 530.6-km standard gauge 1,435-mm line is expected to be completed by 2025 with the work starting this year.
“Cutting through the entire length of the state covering 11 districts and touching major towns, Silverline is going to be a game-changer as far as infrastructure development of Kerala is concerned. It will increase connectivity and bring economic hubs, airports, health facilities and cultural amenities across the state close,” said V Ajith Kumar, managing director, K-Rail.
He said the corridor, which will have 11 stations including Cochin airport, would give a big boost to tourism which plays a major role in the state’s economy. The Rs 63,941-crore corridor will enable trains to run at an operational speed of 200 km per hour.