Kerala govt. insisting on SilverLine as standalone project, says railway ministry

The Ministry of Railways on Friday said the Kerala government was insisting on treating the SilverLine project as a standalone venture, despite being asked to revise its detailed project report (DPR) to integrate it with the existing network.

According to a press release, the Kerala government is working on the semi-high-speed line, named SilverLine, and has prepared its DPR. The DPR was prepared by the Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL), a joint venture of the Government of Kerala and the Ministry of Railways, it said.

The Railway Ministry had advised the KRDCL to revise the DPR in line with the latest technical standards, including the adoption of broad gauge for integration with the railway network, a flatter ruling gradient, a proper drainage scheme for yards and sections, and environmental safeguards during construction, operation and integration with the existing network. “However, the Government of Kerala is insisting on considering the SilverLine project as a standalone project,” the release added.

530-km railway line

The information was provided by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in reply to questions in the Rajya Sabha, it said. The proposed 530-km railway line, to be developed by K-Rail, a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways, has been stalled due to widespread public protests, opposition from political parties and delays in securing Central government approvals.

SilverLine aims to reduce rail travel time between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod to four hours.