THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Political consensus may pave the way for the implementation of the Silver Line project, as expected by the state government. The favourable factors are that high-speed rail travel has become popular with the arrival of Vande Bharat and Kerala needs high-speed rail for its development.

Former Railway Minister and Union Minister for Industry and Commerce Piyush Goyal's statement that the Silver Line is under consideration by the Railway Ministry is an indication that a political decision will be made. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had recently stated that permitting the Silver Line would be considered if the technical and environmental issues are resolved. The government is trying to get permission using E. Sreedharan, who is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after making amendments to the DPR.

The line will mostly pass through pillars and tunnels to reduce objections to land acquisition and to avoid the threat of floods. The cost of this will be one lakh crore. The stations will be spaced 30 km apart instead of 50 km. The speed will be 200 km. Sreedharan also recommended a semi-high-speed line on standard gauge. The government has not accepted Sreedharan's suggestions or changed the project document accordingly. All the steps, including land acquisition, have been frozen.

Track and speed

1. The Railways wants the Silver Line to be converted from standard gauge to broad gauge like the normal lines. Vande Bharat and goods trains can run on these lines. The Railways policy is that everything except the bullet train track should be broad gauge
2. There can be two lines with a speed of 160 km along the existing double track. The speed cannot exceed 180 km. The maximum speed of the Silver Line is 220 km. There should be connections at intervals of 50 km on the existing lines. The cost of a 160 km high-speed track is 70 crores per km. If it is 200 km, the cost is 120 crores.

High-speed lines

• Delhi-Meerut. Half the distance 180 km speed
• Mumbai-Ahmedabad- 350 km speed
• Delhi-Alwar (Rajasthan) 180 km expressway
• 15 high-speed and semi-high-speed routes under consideration

"Within 15 years, there should be 25,000 km of expressways in the country. If the journey is made on high-speed rail, more goods trains can be run. One expressway is equal to a nine-lane highway."

-E Sreedharan