Kerala: Joint venture offers rail network a facelift

Kochi: The pact signed by the state government with the Ministry of Railways to execute key railway projects in Kerala on a cost-sharing basis will finally serve as a solution to the congested rail network. As many as nine projects, including construction of additional railway line, have been included in the priority list of projects to be jointly executed.

"One of the main reasons for non-allocation of new trains is the congestion of existing rail network. The LDF government is keen to include the High Speed Rail Corridor too among the projects to be implemented at a later stage. The idea is to provide a fast mode of transport and also provide an alternative single line by the side of the existing one. At many sections, the railways own land and the state government could provide the remaining,” Transport Minister A K Saseendran said.

Commuting needs of short-distance travelers would be met largely once the Thiruvananthapuram- Chengannur sub-urban rail project, which tops the priority list, gets implemented. “The suburban rail project is the right model for the state which is short of both economic resources and land. Currently only the Thiruvanananthapuram-Chengannur and Harippad sections have been included. The government should consider taking it to other parts of the state too," said Paul K J Manvettom, President of All Kerala Railway Users Association.

The Rs 566-crore Sabari rail project too would be implemented on a priority basis. The project to construct 120-km long track from Angamaly to Erumeli was sanctioned by the railways as early as 1998 and initial construction activities started but was shelved after the state government initially refused to share the project cost.

The joint vehicle agreement was signed by S C Jain, Executive Director (Works) on behalf of Railways and KR Jyothilal, Secretary, Department of Transport and Revenue in the Minister of Railways at New Delhi on Thursday. As many as 10 state governments have agreed to share a total of 41 projects with the railways. Some states have also agreed to provide land free of cost in addition to sharing of construction cost.

Commissioning of new 9-km double line today

Trains running through Kottayam route could save up to 10 minutes in running time as the newly-built double line in the nine-km Chengannur-Thiruvalla section will be commissioned on Saturday. However, commissioning of the 12-km Kuruppanthara-Piravom section, where construction activities are almost over and the safety inspection done weeks back, will be delayed by at least a month.

“At  Piravom Junction, there are multiple lines and the joining of the new line will need a full day’s work. Currently,  speed restrictions are in place and it’s not possible to effect ‘line block’ (restriction of train movement to facilitate construction activities). Hence it’s delayed,” sources said. The opening of the Kuruppanthara-Piravom section will reduce  the running time of trains by up to 20 minutes, they said.

To facilitate the commissioning of the Chengannur-Thiruvalla doubline line, the passenger train (56387/56388) between Kayamkulam and Ernakulam will be partially cancelled between Thiruvalla and Kayamkulam. Also  No. 66307/66308 Ernakulam-Kollam MEMU will be partially cancelled between Kollam and Ernakulam Junction. Meanwhile, work on the Kuruppanthara-Chingavanam section is moving at a slow pace due to land acquisition issues.