E Sreedharan
“The journey time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur is only 3.5 hours, which is less than 1/3rd of the time now being taken by trains. Even Vande Bharat takes 6 hours and 48 minutes. “We expect at least 70% of rail commuters in the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur section to switch over to the high-speed rail if the project is realised. The carrying capacity of the HSR trains can be raised in stages to 2.25 lakh from an initial 54,000 per day, reducing the headway from 20 minutes to 5 minutes,” he said. The proposed high-speed rail corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur covers 473.2km, with 23 stations. The project cost is Rs 60,000 crore or Rs 127 crore per km. “The state has to invest only Rs 3,528 crore per annum for 5 years.
Because of huge savings in travel time and costs, also, most road users along this route will also switch over to high-speed rail. Hence the project won’t be a big financial strain to govt,” Sreedharan said. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news.
Kochi : The good patronage enjoyed by Vande Bharat trains in Keralam is clear evidence that the state requires a faster, high-capacity rail network, said Metroman E Sreedharan . This line will be highly popular and profitable from day one,” Sreedharan said. He expressed confidence that the state govt would eventually approve the proposed high-speed rail project. Speaking at an Engineers’ Summit in Angamaly, Sreedharan noted that bureaucratic lag was common and suggested that the state’s current financial constraints might be contributing to the delay in the project’s approval. Also, the ticket rates proposed on the high-speed line are the same as those of AC chair cars in mail/express trains and much less compared to Vande Bharat trains. The state govt has placed the proposal on hold after an expert committee reviewed the project and termed it incomplete. Download the TOI App.