The Kerala cabinet has given its approval for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod semi-high-speed rail corridor, the Silver Line. While giving its green signal to the project here on Wednesday, the cabinet made minor changes in the proposed alignment in the DPR submitted by Kerala Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (K-Rail), a joint venture between the Indian Railways and the Government of Kerala.

The feasibility report of the project proposed a line to pass through Mahe. But according to the changes made by the cabinet, Rekha will skip Mahe. While the Tirur stretch of the Kasargod-Silver line will run parallel to the existing railway, the Tirur-Thiruvananthapuram section will change from the present one. The Silver Line will have Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Cochin Airport, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod stations.

The cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 63,941 crore. It is expected to be completed in five years. The DPR will now go for the approval of the Railway Board, NITI Aayog and the Union Cabinet. The project has already received in-principle approval from the Ministry of Railways. Trains will be able to run at a speed of 200 KM per hour on a two-lane greenfield corridor. The line will be laid through areas with low population density in the width of 15-25 meters, so that the acquisition of land is done to the barest minimum possible.

The land being acquired for the project will be given good compensation under the Land Acquisition Act. Starting from Thiruvananthapuram, trains on the proposed Silver Line will reach Kasargod in four hours, covering a distance of 529.45 km in 11 hours. The running time between Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam will be one and a half hours. The DPR was prepared by Paris-based consultancy M / S Sistra. Prior to the preparation of DPR, all-important studies have been carried out, including aerial lidar survey, environmental impact study, scientific soil testing and traffic survey.

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