Keralites to get semi-high speed rail corridor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Keralites will now be able to move between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod in shorter duration of time as the latest railways infrastructure project known as Kerala’s semi-high speed rail (SHSR) project has been approved. The project after completion will reduce the travel time from 12 hours to just four hours for the inter-city commute. The Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K-Rail) will be implementing the 540 km double line rail project.

The SHSR project is named ‘Silver Line’ which is a joint venture of Railway Ministry and Kerala Government. According to V Ajith Kumar, Managing Director of KRDCL, the approval by the Union government marks an important milestone in the implementation of the SHSR project that would help fast-track Kerala’s economy.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 56,443 crore approx. and will generate around 50,000 jobs. On this track, trains would run at a speed of 200 km per hour, cutting through 11 districts. The project is expected to boast many eco-friendly features including the use of solar power, low emission construction equipment’s, re-use of concrete and steel as well as urban forestry programme promotion.