High-speed rail back on track?

Former congress leader and now CPM representative in Delhi, K V Thomas held a covert meeting with metro man E Sreedharan which has now rekindled back the forgotten dream of Silver Line high-speed rail in Kerala.

The government hasn’t yet assented to Sreedharan’s alternative semi-speed rail line plan but the meeting between the government representative and an erudite in the domain is sure to bring the silver line project back into the table.

The government earlier backtracked from the silver line project after unprecedented protests flared up from people after many feared a land acquisition spree on the government's part. At this juncture comes E Sreedahran’s proposal for an alternative speed rail project in Kerala. Meanwhile, the people of Kerala are far changed from the protest days and are all praise for the Vande Bharat trains in Kerala. The new liking to high-speed trains with Vande Bharat's introduction is considered conducive by the government to give another try bringing the alternate plan suggested by metro man E Sreedharan.

If the land acquisition is paltry, and not affecting the people in any way, there won't be any kind of vigorous protest from the people's side. However, the government is yet to give a statement regarding the plan, and a detailed study is warranted.

In a least surprising move, the UDF has reached the forefront with protests against the move. Minding the developments, other groups against the silver line have also followed suit. The opposition leader asked the government to give a detailed plan regarding the project and said it will be impossible for Congress to support the project if the government stayed intact in their previous plan. In another case of demagoguery, congress accuses an unholy nexus at play between CPM and BJP for E Sreedharan’s membership in the saffron party.

However, it is a certitude that Kerala lacks behind in the development when it comes to railways. More than any congress leader, the normal people who take the itinerary on a daily basis get the pain. A hygienic, neat high-speed train with feasible travel rates sits a dream among the local populace of the country, especially Kerala. According to Sreedharan, the new semi-rail plan if implemented, will see trains reaching Kannur from Thiruvananthapuram in just two hours. Congress should drop bothering the politics and the parties involved with the plan and should wait for the expert report than reach foregone conclusions.