Hurdles abound for SilverLine as Railways seek revised DPR for project

The State government has to overcome many hurdles to execute the 530-km SilverLine semi-high-speed rail corridor project in Kerala even as the Railways have sought a revised DPR for the project.

They included the requirement for additional land to accommodate broad-gauge tracks if the need arose, the subsequent cost escalation and sourcing funds for the project whose cost was expected to be over ₹1 lakh crore on completion, stakeholders said. It had been earlier estimated at ₹63,941 crore.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had, on a visit to Kerala on Sunday, said that the SilverLine project could be considered if environmental concerns and technical issues related to it were addressed. The Railway Board might seek a few clarifications on the two issues, including the feasibility of substituting the standard gauge track with broad gauge track, in order to cater to Vande Bharat and other express trains.

The K-Rail SilverLine Virudha Janakeeya Samiti has in the meantime stepped up its agitation against the project, citing environmental, social and cost-overrun concerns. A protest meeting in this regard has been scheduled on 13 November in Kochi.

S. Rajeevan, general convener of the samiti, said the project would necessitate massive quarrying of aggregate and mud for the embankment, elevated viaduct and also tunnels. This is apart from the apparent reluctance of the Railway to part with its land over a 198-km-long distance for the project. To top it all, the funds-starved State government must clarify from where the over ₹1 lakh crore that was needed for the project would be sourced from and how it would be repaid, he said.

Alternatives

“The project that was shelved over a year ago following massive protests across Kerala is being reconsidered at a time when the Railways are strengthening tracks and straightening curves, and considering installation of automatic signalling system in a phased manner in the State to increase the speed of trains to up to 160 kmph. This is apart from the proposal to lay third and fourth track to speed up passenger and goods trains. The existing pair of tracks can be linked with the third and fourth track, if need be, through an elevated viaduct. All this can be realised for a fraction of the cost of SilverLine, with much less carbon footprint,” he said.

Responding to concerns, sources in K-Rail said that a whole lot of national highway development works were happening in Kerala, apart from rail-track doubling through Alappuzha. “In addition, a new greenfield highway is coming up in the Thiruvananthapuram-Angamaly corridor, parallel to MC Road. The Sabari Rail Project too is on the anvil. SilverLine is yet another transportation infrastructure project, and there is little need to have any concern about it,” they said.

Published - November 07, 2024 09:35 pm IST