THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A long-stalled Thalassery-Mysore Railway path dreams are getting wings. To bypass environmental regulations, 11.5 km of the track will be taken through a tunnel under the river, according to the new plan.

The proposal to build the tunnel almost parallel to Kabini river that flows through forests of Nagarhola and Bandipoor in Karnataka has been submitted to the Karnatataka government.

The project was submitted by Kerala Railway Development Corporation in which Kerala and Central governments have a share of 49:51 pc each. The earlier plan was to take the track through Thalassery, Koothuparambu, Mananthavadi and Kutta.

The under-river path is being planned on account of the opposition of coffee plantation workers in Karnataka. The proposed path will be cheap and easier for people who want to reach Mysore and Bangalore from Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Wayanad.