The strong response to Vande Bharat trains in Kerala shows the growing demand for a faster and high-capacity rail system in the state, Metro Man E Sreedharan said. He also expressed confidence that the Kerala government would eventually give approval for the proposed high-speed rail project.
Sreedharan Backs High-Speed Rail Project
Speaking at an Engineers’ Summit in Angamaly, Sreedharan said delays in government decisions were common and suggested that Kerala’s current financial situation could be one reason for the delay in approving the project.
According to him, the proposed high-speed rail line could reduce travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur to around 3.5 hours. At present, regular trains take much longer, while the Vande Bharat service takes about 6 hours and 48 minutes on the route.
Lower Fares and Faster Travel
Sreedharan said the proposed fares for the high-speed rail service would be similar to AC chair car fares on mail and express trains and lower than Vande Bharat ticket prices.
He said the combination of faster travel and affordable fares could attract a large number of passengers from existing rail services as well as road transport.
High-Speed Rail Could Carry More Passengers
Sreedharan estimated that around 70% of rail passengers travelling between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur could shift to the high-speed service if the project is implemented.
He also said road users along the route could move to high-speed rail because of the potential savings in travel time and costs.
The passenger capacity could initially be around 54,000 people a day and could later be increased to 2.25 lakh passengers a day. The interval between trains could also be reduced from 20 minutes initially to around five minutes as capacity increases.
473 Km Corridor With 23 Stations
The proposed high-speed rail corridor would connect Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur across 473.2 km and include 23 stations.
The estimated project cost is around ₹60,000 crore, working out to approximately ₹127 crore per kilometre.
Sreedharan said the financial requirement for the state government would be around ₹3,528 crore annually for five years and argued that this would not place a major financial burden on the government.
Kerala Government Keeps Project On Hold
The state government has currently kept the high-speed rail proposal on hold following a review by an expert committee.
The committee had raised concerns that the project proposal was incomplete. Sreedharan, however, remains confident that the government will eventually consider and approve the project, citing the demand for faster and higher-capacity rail connectivity in Kerala.
