Photo: Mathrubhumi archives
Thiruvananthapuram: Alok Verma, who conducted the feasibility study on SilverLine project, said that the Vande Bharat trains announced in the Union Budget will not replace K-Rail. Vande Bharat trains have a top speed of 160 kmph, but the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod Semi High-Speed rail line will only have a speed of 110 kmph, pointed out Verma.
Alok Verma clarified this as responding to Shashi Tharoor's tweet on the K-Rail project. In the tweet, Tharoor demanded that the K-Rail project should be reconsidered and pointed out that Vande Bharat trains could be an alternative to K-Rail.
Currently, the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Semi-High Speed rail line can have a speed of 110 kmph only. It will be operated at a maximum speed of up to 200 kmph only if the alignment is improved by 30 per cent step by step. But the railway track needs to be upgraded for Rs 25,000 crore. Alok Verma pointed out that this renovation has to be carried out to operate Vande Bharat trains here.
At present, Vande Bharat trains run on two routes in the country. New Delhi-Varanasi and New Delhi-Ghattara are the two routes. The maximum speed on both routes is 160 kmph. In some places speeds of up to 130 kmph are possible. Therefore, K-Rail cannot replace the SilverLine project.
RELATED STORIES
.jpg?$p=3c2c8fd&f=1x1&w=100&q=0.8)
%20(1).jpg?$p=60da5b6&f=1x1&w=100&q=0.8)
.jpg?$p=a80322e&q=0.8&f=16x11&w=104)
