Ponnani: The Ministry of Railways has entrusted the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) with preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a high-speed railway corridor in Kerala. The decision was taken after the Centre formally rejected the SilverLine project proposed by the State government.

The DPR will be prepared under the supervision of ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan, former chief advisor of the DMRC. The DMRC has also initiated steps to open an office in Ponnani for the purpose.

The proposed project envisages a 430-km-long high-speed rail corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur, designed to support trains running at speeds of up to 200 kmph.

During a recent meeting with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Sreedharan said the DPR would be ready within nine months. The report will incorporate flyovers and tunnels to avoid densely inhabited areas.

DPR prepared earlier in 2009
This will be the second time a DPR is being prepared for a high-speed rail corridor in Kerala. A similar exercise was undertaken in 2009 under the leadership of Sreedharan at the request of the then State government. The new DPR will be based on the earlier report, with suitable modifications. There are also plans to prioritise regions in Kerala that are currently not served by the railways.

The present State government had moved ahead with the SilverLine project after rejecting the earlier DPR. However, Sreedharan had cautioned that the SilverLine project was impractical due to the extensive land acquisition required and its potential adverse impact on inhabited areas.