Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor

Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed rail corridor
Overview
Type High-speed rail
Status On hold
Locale Kerala
Karnataka
Termini Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Mangalore, Karnataka
Stations 11
Operation
Operator(s) Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (KHSRC)
Character Elevated and underground, grade-separated, dedicated passenger tracks
Technical
Line length 630 km (390 mi)
Number of tracks 2
Operating speed 300 km/h (190 mph)

Route map: Bing / Google

The Thiruvananthapuram–Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor was a proposed high-speed rail corridor in India that would connect the capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram with Mangalore in Karnataka. In February 2014, the Indian media reported that the state government had shelved the project.Steps have been taken to speed up survey for the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore high-speed rail corridor project, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty told the Assembly on 2016

History

The Thiruvananthapuram – Mangalore high-speed passenger corridor was mooted in the 2009-10 budget speech of the LDF government. The project was cleared by the State Cabinet in February 2010.[1][2] The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) was appointed as the nodal agency to develop the project. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) conducted the pre-feasibility study of the project. DMRC was suppose to submit a detailed project report (DPR) for the project by March 2016.[3]

In September 2011, a special purpose vehicle, the Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd. (KHSRC) was formed to implement the project.[4]

The Ministry of Railways has stated that the project is feasible and has expressed full support for the project. Approximately 800 hectares of land will have to be acquired for the project. 250 hectares of land has to be acquired for the 200 km stretch from Thiruvananthapuram to Ernakulam. This will displace 1600 to 1700 families. The corridor was expected to be ready by March 2020.[5]

In February 2014, the state government shelved the project.The Times of India quoted unnamed sources as stating, "It has not been scrapped officially, but it is at a dead stage. The estimated project cost has almost doubled now, and the more the delay, the costlier the project would become." The cost of constructing the project was estimated to be 1.80 lakh crore, much higher than the originally estimated 1 lakh crore.[6][7][8] 80% of the cost was proposed to be funded by JICA, and the remaining 20% by the State and Central governments.

On March 2014, T. Balakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director of KHSRCL, told the newspaper "The Hindu" that Kochi could be the nodal point for the high-speed rail project in Kerala. He denied that the project had been scrapped. The high-speed rail corridor project proposed by the State government between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod is likely to be revamped in the wake of the Union government’s plan to extend the Bangalore-Coimbatore high-speed rail project to Kochi. The State government is understood to be keen on seeking the Union government’s approval to extend the latter project to Thiruvananthapuram.[9]

On October 2014, Kerala Chief Minister Shri Oommen Chandy told that the government wishes to implement the project of High Speed Rail Corridor, and that the project is stalled due to protests which have arisen. He also told that the survey is completed and the project will be implemented only with support of people.[10]

Plan

Proposed stations on the high-speed corridor
Thiruvananthapuram
Kollam
Chengannur
Kottayam
Kochi
Thrissur
Valancheri
Kozhikode
Kannur
Kasaragod
Mangalore

The 630-kilometre-long high-speed corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangalore was planned to be built 4 km east of the existing line.[6][7][8] The corridor would not have any level crossings. The distance between two pillars of the elevated rail was proposed as 25 m, and the line would run 5 m above the ground level.[11]

The first phase of construction would have included building a high-speed rail link between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. This was proposed to be completed within 5 1⁄2 years from start of construction. Kochi would then be linked with Mangalore in the second phase. There were also proposals to extend the rail line to Udupi from Mangalore, and Kanyakumari from Thiruvananthapuram.[12] 80% of the cost will be funded by JICA and the remaining 20% by the State and Central governments. Karnataka state industrial development department has identified Udupi-Karnataka Border project as the potential PPP project and listed it as the future project with 15000 crore investment and will market this in the Global Investors Meet which are organized once in 2 years.[13]

The rail project, involves acquisition of 242 hectares of land in the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi segment and 552 hectares on the Kochi-Kasaragod stretch. The cost of the entire project, at 2011 price level, was estimated at Rs.1.18 lakh crore.

After completion, as per projections, it is estimated that a distance of 190 km between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi could be completed in 53 minutes. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod stretch, extending 525 km, could be covered in 142 minutes.

The proposed stations are Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Valancheri, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasargod and Mangalore.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "No cause for concern over high speed rail: Chandy". The Hindu. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "Kerala Chief Minister assures people on high speed rail project". NDTV. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  3. ↑ S. Anil Radhakrishnan. "High Speed Corridor: DMRC needs more time to submit report". The Hindu. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  4. ↑ "Kerala's High Speed Dilemma". Yentha.com. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 2012.
  5. ↑ "‘1,700 families to be displaced for high speed rail project’". The Hindu. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  6. 1 2 High speed rail project shelved by planning board - The Times of India
  7. 1 2 http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/contentView.do?contentId=16193075&tabId=1&programId=11565535
  8. 1 2 Kerala pauses work on high-speed rail corridor project - News Oneindia
  9. ↑ "‘High-speed rail to take Kochi-Kasaragod route’". The Hindu. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "‘അതിവേഗ റെയില്‍: പിന്തുണച്ചാല്‍ നടപ്പാക്കുമെന്നു മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി’". Mangalam. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014. zero width joiner character in |title= at position 15 (help)
  11. ↑ TNN 17 Sep 2012, 05:18 am IST (2012-09-17). "Survey for high-speed rail sparks local ire". The Times of India. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  12. ↑ T Ramavarman (2012-07-07). "High-speed rail corridor may go up to Udupi". The Times of India. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  13. ↑ http://www.idd.kar.nic.in/docs/KIT_I.pdf
  14. ↑ "Thiruvananthapuram: Work on high speed rail corridor to begin in 2014". Ibnlive.in.com. 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
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