Just four hours to travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod! Centre to sanction semi-high speed railway project within three weeks

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Within three weeks, Kerala is to get in-principle sanction from the Centre for its semi high-speed railway project. Once the project materializes it will only take fours to travel on train from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod.

The study report and alignment report of the project, which the Railway ministry and railway board are curious about, have been accepted by the State government and submitted to the Railway ministry.

The Railway has offered Rs 6000 crore share and technical help. Once the Centre’s sanction is obtained, the land acquiring procedures will start. Railway will also return Rs 3000 crore collected as GST and invest it as share in the company that will take up the project.

Rs 56,442 crore is the estimated cost of the project. This may rise to Rs 65,000 crore when the project gets completed in the expected 5 years. As the project has been included official programmes of the Centre’s planning and finance department, it is likely to get quick loan from Japan agency Jaika.

The project may require more than Rs 35000 cr foreign loan; the interest is 0.2 to 1 percent and the term for repayment is up to 50 years.
It will also get a moratorium of 10 years.

DPR will be ready by November. There will be a survey of the land using helicopters and drones, shortly. The State will have to expend Rs 8000 crore to acquire 1226.45 hectare.

As there will be service roads on either side of the rail line, the development of nearby area is possible and the project, once realized, can create
11,000 employment opportunities.

The project in a nutshell:

Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargode two rail lines spanning 531 km

Speed of 80-200 km/hr

Nine coaches each having a seating capacity of 75

State’s share of expense: Rs 6000 cr

Land – 8000 cr

Railway share of expense: Rs 6000 cr

Centre and State will divide between them 26% of share

74% share will be raised from public market and foreign loans

Meanwhile, Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran recalled the efforts taken by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in New Delhi to start the spade work for the project.