Poojappura to Kannur in three and a half hours; High-speed rail report awaiting central govt approval

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high-speed rail report prepared by eminent engineer E. Sreedharan may be submitted for central approval. Sreedharan prepared the project document on the instructions of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Since the survey cannot be conducted without the state's permission, the interim report was handed over to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan. The survey will be completed after it is approved by the UDF and the cabinet.

The report proposes a double track from Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram to Mundayad in Kannur. It claims that the 473.2 km can be covered in three and a half hours. Cost and land acquisition are considerably low. This will be a standard-gauge railway with a construction cost of around 127 crores per km.

Stations will be at an average interval of 21.5 km. It will connect Thiruvananthapuram, Nedumbassery and Karipur airports. The station will be 10 km closer to Kannur airport.

In the second phase, the route will be extended to Kannur-Kasaragod, Kozhikode-Kalpetta, Pattambi-Palakkad, and Thrissur-Palakkad.

👉 Construction cost is Rs 60,000 crore. Of this, Rs 36,000 crore will be provided by the central and state governments in the ratio of 51:49 as equity investment. The remaining Rs 24,000 crore will be raised through crowdfunding.

👉 800 passengers can travel in 12 coaches. Standing will not be allowed inside the coaches. If there is more demand, the number of coaches will be increased to 16.

👉 Service from 6 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 8 pm. Service every 20 minutes during rush hour. 40 minutes break during off-peak hours. 54,400 people can travel daily

👉 6.5 km of tunnel road in Thiruvananthapuram city. The rest is an elevated road above the pillars

👉 Land should be acquired for construction with a width of 20 meters. Once the construction is complete, the land will be leased to the owner

The entire operation, including running the train, will be on solar power. The excess will be sold to KSEB.

STOPS:

Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram Airport, Varkala, Kollam, Kottarakkara, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Vaikom, Tripunithura, Palarivattom, Aluva, Nedumbassery Airport, Chalakudy, Thrissur, Pattambi, Malappuram, Karipur Airport, Kozhikode, Baluserry, Nadapuram, Koothuparamba, Mundayad.

“If turned into a reality, it will be the world's first green rail corridor. It can be built in 5 years.” - E. Sreedharan