E Sreedharan revives high-speed rail proposal, set to meet Kerala CM today

Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan has made a fresh move regarding the proposed high-speed rail project conceived as an alternative to the SilverLine project. He is scheduled to meet Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Friday to hold discussions on the project. The meeting is slated for around 5 pm at the Chief Minister’s Office.

E Sreedharan is now approaching the new government with the same alternative proposal that he had earlier presented before the Pinarayi Vijayan government. The project, which can be integrated with the existing railway network and is based on broad gauge tracks, envisions trains running at speeds of up to 200 kmph.

Reports indicate that nearly 70 per cent of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has already been completed. With the DPR process nearing completion, E Sreedharan is planning to approach both the Centre and the state government to move the project forward.

He had earlier held preliminary discussions on the project with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. With the VD Satheesan government having withdrawn the land acquisition notification for the SilverLine project, the government’s stand on the proposed high-speed rail corridor is now being keenly watched. Indications are that if the state government responds favourably, E Sreedharan will move ahead with further steps to coordinate with the Union Railway Ministry.