THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Konkan Railway will complete the 9.5 km tunnel to Vizhinjam port within the next 45 months. The construction cost is Rs 960 crore. The first installment of Rs 69 crore will be handed over to Konkan Railway within three days. The tender process will be initiated after that.

It is a single track from Balaramapuram. 21 trains can run a day. It will take 23 minutes to cover 10.7 km to the yard. The first installment will be provided from a loan of 2100 crores from NABARD. Efforts are being made to get funds from the central schemes of Gati Shakti, Sagarmala and Rail Sagar.

The Vizhinjam tunnel will be the third-largest railway tunnel in the country. The environmental clearance was given after studies conducted by six central institutes. Containers will be transported by train for distances of more than 500 km. With the port becoming fully operational in 2028, a rail corridor will become essential for the movement of goods. There is a rail corridor from Mundra port in Gujarat.

Safe construction method

The tunnel is being constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method. This is a construction method that is not dangerous even if it is drilled under houses. The construction does not involve breaking up rock and soil through explosions. A maximum of six meters can be drilled per day. The place where it is drilled will be concreted immediately. The possibility of drilling from the middle of the path is being examined. The tunnel will have a diameter of 10 meters including the concrete wall. It will be elliptical. There may be a road and structures on top. A plant on a four-acre site will be required for concrete mixing.

Vast yard, two parallel tracks

• A yard and two parallel tracks at Balaramapuram station are also part of the tunnel project. Two tracks should be built parallel to the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari line
• This should be connected to the main line and the tunnel. 11.5 acres should be acquired for this on the Neyyattinkara side. 170 crores will be handed over to the District Collector on Monday
• Balaramapuram station should be elevated to facilitate container movement. The yard should be developed with facilities including holding trains. 243 crores will be given to the Railways next week for this

Containers delivered to Vizhinjam: 4.5 lakhs

Ships that have arrived so far: 220

The tunnel rail will greatly facilitate the movement of goods

- V.N. Vasavan,

Ports Minister