THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who boasted of revolutionising rail development in Kerala, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asserted that the state will get priority when the Vande Bharat Sleeper and Vande Bharat Metro are rolled out next year.
Maintaining that the Railways is implementing projects to increase the sectional speed of trains in Kerala, Vaishnaw said after 48 months, the trip from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod by Vande Bharat can be completed in five-and-a-half hours.
Speaking at Central Stadium here after the PM launched several projects, Vaishnaw said Modi has allotted Rs 381 crore for increasing sectional speed of trains to 130 kmph, and eventually to 160 kmph. “In 36 to 48 months, we should be able to increase the sectional speed throughout the entire stretch of Kerala,” he said.
Vaishnaw: Centre okayed Rs 2,033 crore for Kerala’s rail development this year
The railway minister said when the PM took responsibility of the country in 2014, he immediately doubled the allocation for Kerala. He then tripled and quadrupled it, he said. “This year, the PM allotted Rs 2,033 crore for Kerala’s rail development, which is a massive jump from Rs 370 crore,” he said.
Later, speaking to reporters during an inspection at the Nemom station, Vaishnaw said the Vande Bharat chair car version introduced on April 25 would be followed by other formats. “We can think of starting a Vande Bharat Sleeper train on the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam-Bengaluru stretch, while the Vande Bharat Metro can be used for connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam,” he said. Earlier, he had said the sleeper rollout is expected by December-January and the Metro by December - February.
The minister inspected the Nemom and Kochuveli railway stations, which are slated to be developed into satellite stations to decongest Thiruvananthapuram Central Station. At Kochuveli station, the minister inspected ‘One Station One Product’ outlet and the catering unit. He also interacted with the passengers.
He also charted a comprehensive development plan for Thiruvananthapuram Central, Nemom, Pettah and Kochuveli stations in the next 2-3 years. “The Thiruvananthapuram railway station will be redeveloped into a world-class station. The redevelopment by retaining the heritage value of the station is a good concept. We can redevelop Nemom with minimal land acquisition in three years,” he added.
He listed out the names of 34 railway stations in Kerala that will undergo redevelopment. Vaishnaw said the rail ministry is still evaluating the detailed project report of the ambitious SilverLine submitted by the government. “Our stand is clear on the issue. We stand by the development of the country. We need to consider a lot of issues regarding technical and environmental impact. A final decision will be made after consultation with the state,” said the railways minister. He also denied that there was a delay in allocating Vande Bharat to the state.