Kerala needs faster travel option
Kerala’s SilverLine high-speed rail project which was stalled midway following public protests, is back in focus with the entry of ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan. The state government had approached the country’s premier rail architect to suggest ways to implement the project. The SilverLine project had proposed constructing a 529.45 km-long semi-high-speed rail corridor that would connect Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the north in just four hours. While the project was quite futuristic, protests had erupted from various quarters, including the Opposition parties led by the Congress, a group of environmentalists, and people living along the proposed rail route. Finally, under pressure, the state government had to halt all the work last November.
It was K V Thomas, former MoS for Food in the UPA government and now the state’s special representative in Delhi, who met Sreedharan on behalf of the government. In his note to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan via the latter’s emissary, Sreedharan has now suggested an overhaul of the project. Sreedharan, who has successfully executed big rail projects on time, including the Konkan rail, had earlier opposed the original SilverLine plan, saying it was not viable and would cause environmental issues. As per Sreedharan’s new plan, the entire rail stretch will be elevated or underground. Hence, land acquisition would happen at a much lesser scale compared to the initial project. Environmental repercussions could also be minimised. He also wants Delhi Metro Rail Corporation or the Indian Railways to execute the project, estimated to cost around Rs 1 lakh crore.
There are no two opinions on whether Kerala needs a better and faster travel option. Successive governments have been trying to implement various projects without much success. The previous UDF government under Oommen Chandy, too, had proposed a similar high-speed rail project but failed. The state government expects to win the people’s confidence in the project by bringing Sreedharan into the picture.
The ball is now in the CM’s court, and his next move will most likely determine the fate of the mega rail project in Kerala. That a thickly populated state like Kerala needs a faster railway network is something everyone agrees to. But it should be implemented only after allaying the insecurities of everyone concerned. Taking everyone into confidence is the key to every successful project, and that is something the LDF government should not forget.