NE BUSINESS BUREAU
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/KOZHIKODE, NOV 3
Minister of Railways, Electronics, Information & Communication Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the Kerala government’s ambitious K-Rail semi-high-speed rail project can be taken forward if the technical and environmental issues in its design are addressed by the state authorities. The multi-crore project has been shelved for some time due to intense protest from opposition parties and the general public and also for want of permission from the union government.
Giving a fresh hope to the project, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that he had discussed the matter with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when they had last met in New Delhi.
Hon'ble MR Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw inspected the ongoing redevelopment works at Kozhikode Railway Station, Kerala. Focusing on infrastructure upgrades & passenger amenities, he offered insights and emphasised adherence to project timelines.#AmritStations pic.twitter.com/JZdOZ0LvJN
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) November 3, 2024
Minister of Railways, Electronics, Information & Communication Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with R.N. Singh, General Manager of Southern Railway; Dr. Manish Thaplyal, Divisional Railway Manager, Thiruvananthapuram Division; Principal Heads of Departments, and other senior officials, conducted a comprehensive inspection of railway infrastructure on the Aluva-Kozhikode section by a special inspection train. During this inspection, key infrastructure projects and recent developments in the section were reviewed in detail.
Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected the redevelopment works at Thrissur Railway Station and mentioned the allotment of Rs 393 crores for Redevelopment of Thrissur station while addressing the media. He also highlighted the vision of advancing railway infrastructure in Kerala. The Minister emphasised the significance of a unified commitment to Kerala’s railway infrastructural growth, underlining the importance of timely project completion to enhance connectivity and support regional development.
Ashwini Vaishnaw today said that phenomenal progress has been made in the railway sector in the last ten years. While speaking at a private media event in Kozhikode, The Union Minister added that 31,000 km of new tracks were added in the last ten years, and in the past year, 5,300 km track was newly added.
The Union Minister further said that with Vande Bharat trains, Amrit Bharat trains and Namo Bharat rapid rail, travel by train will fully transform in the coming years. 35 stations in Kerala are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat project of which the work is progressing in a fast paced manner.
While talking further about Kerala in the railway map, the Minister stated that during the previous regime, the railway budget for Kerala was Rs 370 crores. During the PM Narendra Modi led government it has become more than Rs 3,000 crores. He added that more than Rs 370 crores is allocated for one Amrit Bharat Station.
Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairying, and Minority Affairs George Kurian, along with Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan and P.K Kridhnadas, Former Chairman of Passenger Amenities Committee, Ministry of Railways also accompanied the Railway Minister.
“I requested the CM that whatever technical and environmental issues are there in the design of the K-Rail, please address them expeditiously, so that, this project can also be taken forward. Because, from our side – the NDA government – we believe in cooperative federalism,” he told reporters here. The union minister further said that the Centre is committed to constructing the Sabari rail from Angamaly to Erumely as per the original alignment. Vaishnav said that the state government recently sent a letter to the Centre with attaching certain conditions. “So, we will be very soon sending a format to the Kerala government which we have done with the government of Maharashtra,” he said.
Once the state authorities fill up the format, then the project (Sabari rail) can start and move forward, the union minister added. The K Rail, a semi-high speed rail corridor, aims to ease transportation along the entire north and south stretch of Kerala and reduce the travel time to less than four hours, as against 12 to 14 hours at present. The SilverLine would cover a 530-kilometre stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and be developed by K-Rail, a joint venture of the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways. The Opposition Congress and the BJP in Kerala have been protesting against the SilverLine project, saying it will affect the families who will be displaced due to its implementation.
K-Rail, the ambitious semi-high-speed rail project of the State government, got a conditional green signal from Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday. The Minister said the project could be taken forward if the technical and environmental issues in its design were properly addressed by the State government.
The controversial project has been kept pending due to intense protest from the public as well as the Opposition parties. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier met the Union Minister in Delhi to discuss K-Rail.
