Kozhikode: The proposed high-speed rail corridor envisioned by Metro Man E Sreedharan has undergone alignment changes, with the revised route now passing through the hilly regions of Kozhikode and Kannur districts. Under the new plan, stations have been proposed at Balussery, Nadapuram and Koothuparamba before the corridor terminates at Kannur, while the earlier proposed stations at Koyilandy, Vadakara and Thalassery have been dropped.

The revised alignment also includes the addition of stations at Thripunithura and Aluva in Ernakulam district and Chalakkudi in Thrissur district, taking the total number of stations on the proposed corridor to 23. Officials at Sreedharan’s office in Ponnani said an interim report on the project would be submitted to the Centre and the State government within the next 10 days, ahead of the submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in September.

The UDF government’s recent decision to de-notify the controversial SilverLine project of K-Rail has revived discussions around the high-speed rail proposal put forward by Sreedharan. Last year, he proposed the Kerala High-Speed Rail (KHSR) corridor as an alternative to the SilverLine project and initiated procedures for preparing the DPR by opening a DMRC office in Ponnani.

Earlier, Sreedharan had announced that the 465-km corridor would have 20 stations, including the two terminal points, with stations located at intervals of 20 to 30 kilometres. The originally proposed stations included Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Varkala, Kollam, Kottarakkara, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Vaikom, Ernakulam Bypass, Cochin International Airport, Thrissur, Pattambi, Malappuram, Calicut International Airport, Kozhikode, Koyilandy, Vadakara and Thalassery before terminating at Kannur.

However, the revised alignment now connects Thripunithura after Vaikom and includes Aluva between Ernakulam and Nedumbassery stations, giving Ernakulam district a total of three stations on the corridor.

Sources said the alignment in the coastal regions of Kozhikode and Kannur was altered to include Balussery, Nadapuram and Koothuparamba with the aim of extending rail connectivity to areas currently lacking railway infrastructure. The revised route is also expected to improve future connectivity to Wayanad.

The corridor has been designed for a maximum speed of 200 kmph, with an operational speed of 180 kmph. The estimated project cost is ₹54,000 crore.

Sreedharan is hopeful that both the Centre and the State government will seriously consider the proposal as a viable alternative to the SilverLine project.