Green signal for Sreedharan’s ₹54,000 cr rail corridor? Railway minister hints at discussions

New Delhi: Three proposals aimed at improving long-pending north–south rail connectivity in Kerala are currently under consideration, and the most technically feasible and cost-effective option will be selected, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Responding to a query raised by CPM leader John Brittas regarding the status of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for north–south rail connectivity in the state, Vaishnaw said the first option under consideration is the K-Rail SilverLine Project proposed by the Kerala government, connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod through an embankment-based alignment.

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The second proposal has been put forward by the Railway Ministry and involves surveys for seven routes, including Shoranur–Mangaluru, Shoranur–Coimbatore, Shoranur–Ernakulam, Ernakulam–Kayamkulam via Kottayam, Kayamkulam–Thiruvananthapuram and Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil.

The third option was suggested by renowned technocrat E. Sreedharan, who has proposed an elevated railway corridor capable of speeds up to 180 kmph running along the entire north–south stretch of the state. Sreedharan previously headed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

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According to Vaishnaw, the Railway Ministry has examined Sreedharan’s proposal in detail, with the estimated cost pegged at around ₹54,000 crore.

“We intend to call him very soon for discussions on this proposal. Normally, an elevated line costs about Rs 300 crore per km,” the railway minister said.

Earlier, raising the matter in the House, Brittas said that while the minister had mentioned seven ongoing surveys, one of them, the Shoranur–Ernakulam survey, had been announced in the 2018–19 Railway Budget.

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He said the Southern Railway had informed him that the DPR for the Shoranur–Ernakulam project was completed and sent to the Railway Ministry a year ago, but had remained pending for approval.

Referring to Sreedharan’s proposal, Brittas asked, “Is it for the Railways to prepare the DPR or to authorise Shri Sreedharan to prepare the DPR? And will the government consider this proposed project as a high-speed corridor, since Kerala has been left out of the high-speed corridor announced in the budget?”

Expressing dissatisfaction with the minister’s response, Brittas said, “I had asked a specific question - who will prepare the DPR on the basis of Shri Sreedharan's proposal, and will it be considered a high-speed corridor since Kerala has been left out? He didn't answer that.”

He also accused the minister of highlighting old railway projects.

“He talked about the Sabari railway line. It was announced 28 years ago when Mr Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister,” Brittas said.

“At that time, it was to be executed by the railways alone. After 28 years, they made the state government share the expenditure. Is it fair?” he questioned.

“Now he is accusing the state government of not cooperating. My question to him is whether it is prudent on his part to showcase all the old proposals announced in Railway Budgets starting from 1996 onwards and present a picture that he is offering abundance to Kerala,” Brittas said.

Responding to the criticism, Vaishnaw said the project that had remained incomplete for nearly three decades would now be completed under the leadership of Narendra Modi.