THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The debate over whether Vande Bharat trains could be an alternative to SilverLine got a new turn with more joining the political discourse. Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor who had earlier taken a stand in favour of SilverLine, took a different stance, tweeting whether Vande Bharat trains that can travel at 180 kmph could be a cheaper and more energy-efficient substitute for the semi high-speed rail line.
Tharoor pointed out that bringing Vande Bharat trains to Kerala could lead to a win-win situation for both the state government and opposition UDF. It could resolve the chief minister’s concern for speedy train travel to promote the state’s development and alleviate the Congress’ concerns about land acquisition and environmental impact.
He urged the Centre and the LDF government to discuss the same in the interests of the state. Meanwhile, Opposition leader V D Satheesan held a meeting with Tharoor. Speaking to the media, Satheesan said Tharoor shares the party’s official stance on SilverLine. “It’s not wrong to come out with a different opinion. He hadn’t studied the issue at the time. We later updated him in this regard,” said Satheesan.
K-Rail, however, came out with a statement indicating that it could not be an alternative.
While Vande Bharat trains can run at a speed of 160 kmph, the tracks in Kerala have only a maximum sectional speed varying between 80 kmph and 110 kmph. “Vande Bharat trains, if run in Kerala, can achieve the same running time of trains like Jan Shatabdi and Rajdhani which are the fastest trains now running in Kerala.
May be a 10% reduction of time will be possible due to the EMU-type coaches of Vande Bharat trains that can accelerate and decelerate quickly,” it said, adding that upgrading the existing network in the state to make it fit to run Vande Bharat should first be done. As many as 626 curves totalling 36% of the length of existing tracks will have to be straightened at very high capital cost. This may take up to 10-20 years.
Railway expert Alok Kumar Varma has also pointed out that Vande Bharat could not be an alternative to SilverLine.