THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K-Rail officials said that high speed train running at 400 kmph instead of semi high speed train is not practical in Kerala. High speed rail having consecutive stops in ten districts will not be practical. In that case maximum speed cannot be achieved. The semi-high speed project will cost Rs 63,940 crore while the high speed project will cost around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The authorities were responding to several suggestions about the project.

The SilverLine is designed to reach up to 220 kilometers per hour. In the case of Kerala, only semi high speed rail is required. This has also been made clear in the DPR. The scheme will not be profitable if the train runs without stopping at district centers. If fares are increased, the goal of attracting travellers will not be achieved.

The journey from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam on the high speed train takes 1.05 hours. It should take 1.25 hours at semi high speed. So the time difference is not really significant.

The laying of survey stones are in progress in Kasargod. Only two villages in Kasargod district are left for laying of survey stones. More than 85 percent is complete. In Kannur too, more than 75 per cent stones were laid. More than 6100 stones were laid for a total of 175 km. The police are collecting the figures of survey stones that were thrown away. K-Rail will pay agencies additional amount to replace the stones with new ones.