A high-speed rail corridor linking Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur is under the active consideration of the Union government, technocrat and former Konkan Railway chairman E. Sreedharan has said. The project, estimated to cost ₹1 lakh crore, is proposed to be completed within five years.
Mr. Sreedharan said the Centre was expected to announce the project in two weeks and added that he would lead its execution. He recently held discussions with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will be the implementing agency, he said.
Alternative to K-Rail
The proposed high-speed rail line will serve as an alternative to the State government’s SilverLine (K-Rail) project promoted by the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Mr. Sreedharan said that land acquisition would not pose a major challenge for the project.
According to him, trains on the corridor would operate at speeds of up to 200 kmph. Travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi would be about one hour and 20 minutes, while Kozhikode could be reached in two-and-a-half hours and Kannur in three hours and 15 minutes.
