LDF’s K-Rail buried; UDF unveils ₹60,000 crore similar high speed rail
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Thiruvananthapuram: After scrapping the controversial K-Rail project, the UDF government has unveiled an ambitious new high-speed rail proposal aimed at transforming Kerala’s transport network. The project gained momentum on Friday when Metro Man E Sreedharan submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to Chief Minister VD Satheesan during a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sreedharan said the proposal had been designed to bring sweeping changes to rail transportation in Kerala. According to the DPR, the high-speed corridor will run from Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram to Mundayad in Kannur, covering a distance of 473.20 kilometres. Trains capable of speeds of up to 200 kmph are expected to complete the journey in a maximum of three-and-a-half hours.
The project envisages 23 stations across the state, with an average distance of 21.5 kilometres between stations. The route will pass through Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram Airport, Varkala, Kollam, Kottarakkara, Pathanamthitta Junction, Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Vaikom, Tripunithura, Ernakulam (Palarivattom), Aluva, Kochi Airport, Chalakudy, Thrissur Junction, Pattambi Junction, Malappuram, Kozhikode Airport, Kozhikode Junction, Balussery, Nadapuram, Koothuparamba and Mundayad.
The line will directly connect three of Kerala’s four airports, while Kannur Airport will be just 10 kilometres from the Mundayad terminal, with improved road connectivity proposed. Built as a double-track standard-gauge corridor, the project will require only 20 metres of land width. While 6.5 kilometres through Thiruvananthapuram city will run underground or through tunnels, the remainder will be constructed as an elevated corridor.
Estimated to cost Rs 60,000 crore, the project is envisioned as the world’s first green rail corridor powered by electricity generated from its own solar plants. Surplus power will be supplied to KSEB. Beginning with 12-coach trains carrying 800 passengers, the system can later expand to 16 coaches and transport up to 2.28 lakh passengers daily. Sreedharan said construction could be completed within five years once official approvals are secured.