Sreedharan seeks public support for Kerala high-speed rail plan

Veteran technocrat and former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chairman E. Sreedharan is pressing ahead with his proposed high-speed rail corridor between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur despite doubts about its feasibility.

Mr. Sreedharan launched a public awareness campaign here on Monday, outlining the potential benefits of the project. However, the initiative has drawn attention as neither the State nor the Union government has expressed interest in taking it forward. The Centre has so far neither endorsed nor rejected the proposal.

The State government and ruling parties have also kept their distance from the plan, partly because Mr. Sreedharan has positioned it as an alternative to the State’s K-Rail project, which has since been shelved.

The State government also remains at odds with him after he legally challenged a proposed bridge across the Bharatapuzha linking Tavanur and Tirunavaya citing religious concerns.

Speaking at Malappuram, Mr. Sreedharan said he would continue campaigns to raise awareness about the project across the State. “If implemented, it will greatly benefit the people. The line can be extended to Mangaluru and further to Mumbai. One could travel from Mangaluru to Mumbai in six hours,” he said.

Less than ₹1 lakh crore

Originally estimated at ₹1 lakh crore, the project has been revised to ₹56,500 crore and could be completed in five years, he said, noting that the cost would be lower than the ₹63,941-crore K-Rail project.

Mr. Sreedharan said the Kerala High Speed Rail (KHSR) project would reduce road congestion, cut pollution and fuel consumption and improve connectivity across the State. Travel between Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur would take about three hours and 20 minutes.

The proposed corridor, linking the airports at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur, would run 445 km on elevated tracks and about 20 km underground. At the Malappuram event, a small crowd demanded that the line include a station in the town.

Mr. Sreedharan said the network could later be extended to Kasaragod, Kalpetta and Palakkad. Trains would run at a maximum speed of 180 kmph with an average commercial speed of 140 kmph.

He has proposed a Centre-State joint venture, with 51 per cent and 49 per cent stakes respectively, modelled on the Konkan Railway. Of the total cost, 70 per cent would be borne by the governments and the remaining 30 per cent raised through debt or bonds. Under this model, the Centre’s share would be ₹20,171 crore and the State’s ₹19,380 crore.