RRTS is a foolish venture, election stunt: E. Sreedharan

Technocrat E. Sreedharan on Friday said that the Kerala government’s proposed Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod was “not workable” and termed it a “foolish venture” and an “election stunt.”

Mr. Sreedharan’s remarks came two days after a State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan granted in-principle approval to the RRTS.

The technocrat, speaking to reporters here, said the RRTS cannot be an alternative to a high-speed rail corridor and would be effective only for short distances of 60-70 kilometres, like from Kollam to Thiruvananthapuram.

“Its (RRTS) intention is to function like a suburban service over a distance of 60-70 km. Those who know about these matters will term it a foolish venture. It is only a stunt, an election stunt. There is no need to be concerned about it,” he said.

He said that the speed of the RRTS would be slow as there will be stations after every 2-3 km. ”It is not workable,” he added.

Mr. Vijayan on Thursday said that the RRTS came into consideration after the Union Railway Ministry did not approve the proposed high-speed rail line project, SilverLine, in Kerala.

Last week, Mr. Sreedharan had said that Kerala can hope to see a high-speed rail network that will cut travel time to Kannur from Thiruvananthapuram to 3.15 hours, as the Centre is expected to formally announce the project soon.

Mr. Sreedharan, former managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), had said that an office for the high-speed rail project had already been established and work on preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) would commence there from February 2.