Thiruvananthapuram: The ambitious SilverLine Project, envisioned by the Kerala Government to revolutionize the state's transportation landscape, has encountered a significant setback. The Southern Railway, a crucial stakeholder in the project, has expressed its inability to allocate the required land, posing a major obstacle to the initiative.
In a recent report submitted to the central railway board, the Southern Railway conveyed that no land could be spared within the current alignment, as any such act threatens the travel time of other trains and the implementation of future rail development projects in the state.
The report specifically objects to the demand for every parcel of land along the entire stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, as put forth by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (K Rail). Earlier in October, the Railway Board had asked the Southern Railway to submit a report on the joint survey it conducted along with K Rail.
The proposed alignment for the SilverLine project, covering approximately 530 km, suggests running parallel to the existing railway line in certain sections of the Thiruvananthapuram-Thrissur segment. In the remaining corridor, the plan is to lay the track more or less parallel to the current tracks. The project requires 183 hectares of land to connect the northern and southern ends of the state through a semi-high-speed rail corridor.
The report criticizes the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) for finalizing the alignment without consulting the railways. The severe impact on train services, if the SilverLine track passes close to the existing infrastructure like railway stations, and the potential issues that can crop up upon the demolition or reconstruction of railway constructions, have not been considered.
Similarly, the expense for reconstruction of the infrastructure being demolished for the SilverLine project has been included in the project cost. Since a part of the project cost is borne by the railways too, it will result in additional liability, cites the report, which was obtained in response to an RTI query filed by K-Rail Virudha Samiti activist M T Thomas, a native of Peruva in Kottayam.
Additionally, the report notes that a significant portion of the demanded land is already earmarked for development projects, including patches allocated to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The proposed SilverLine alignment would necessitate the relocation of railway infrastructure, staff quarters, service buildings, and even the power distribution network, which the report deems impractical.
The report also raises objections to several proposals as part of the SilverLine project like the setting up of a standard gauge, walls on both sides of the track, and crossings.
The SilverLine project, which costs an estimated Rs 65,000 crore, is currently shelved, though the Kerala Government reiterates that the same has not been abandoned. The project is expected to reduce the travelling time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod to around four hours.
