THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the work has started at four railway stations in here, including Thiruvananthapuram Central to raise them to world standards, by maintaining its heritage and a plan has been prepared to make 34 more stations in the state world-class.

He was speaking to the media after visiting the Nemom railway station.

"The aim is to jointly develop Kochuveli, Pettah, Nemom and Thiruvananthapuram Central. It will be completed in two to three years. With the completion of tracks in the Nemom region, the railway stations and terminals in Thiruvananthapuram will be world-class. Kerala got Vande Bharat without any delay. States are allocated according to the number of trains they make. It's not about whether there is a special railway zone or not, it's about how much money is being spent. During 2009-2014, the state's railway budget allocation was only Rs 372 crore. It has been increased to Rs 3072 crore at present.", Union Minister pointed out.

Vande Bharat Metro trains will start trial run early next year. There will be three types of Vande Bharat services. Chair car service below 600 km, sleeper service above 600 km and Vande Bharat Metro service connecting two major cities. Vande Bharat Metro, which has a shorter distance, will become a reality in January. Its design and construction work is progressing. He also said that Kerala will be given prime consideration in the Vande Bharat Metro.

Technical hurdles in K Rail

Union Minister Ashwani Vaishnav said that when the DPR of K Rail was submitted, there were many questions and the Silver Line project can be decided only after the environmental and technical hurdles are resolved. A final decision will be taken only after consulting the state government.

Railway Board Chairman Anilkumar Lohoti, General Manager RN Singh, Thiruvananthapuram DRM Sachin Sharma and others were present.