The Southern Railways is hopeful of completing the rail doubling works in the State by 2026 if the State government provides the land required for the works on time, Manish Thaplyal, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Thiruvananthapuram Division, Southern Railway, has said. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in Parliament the other day that the Kerala government had not been very cooperative on railway projects and emphasised that a lot more could be done in the State if there is government support for land acquisition.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Thaplyal said Railways were hopeful that line doubling on the crucial stretches on the Ambalappuzha-Turavur and Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari routes could be finished in 2026 if the State provided land by this year end.
‘State given ₹1,300 cr.’
“We have already deposited about ₹1,300 crores with the State government for land acquisition on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari stretch. Land acquisition is critical for starting the line-doubling projects in full swing. Discussions are being held with authorities for the early handover of land parcels. There will be constant follow-up on the matter. We are also in close touch with government officials to fast-track the proceedings,” said Mr. Thaplyal.
In the case of the Ernakulam-Turavur stretch, work had already been sanctioned and was in progress, the authorities were waiting for approval from Railway Board on the Turavur- Ambalappuzha stretch works, he said.
Further, the final location survey (FLS) for the third line between Ernakulam and Shoranur section, with provisions for laying the fourth line, was in progress. Speed potential for 130 kmph-160 kmph would be explored on the stretch. “Railways have plans to draw a double line to Tirunavaya from Thrissur by doubling the existing Thrissur-Guruvayur single line and drawing a new double line from Guruvayur to Tirunavaya,” said Mr. Thaplyal.
Already, infrastructure works to the tune of ₹12,000 crores were in various stages in the State. A significant amount of the ₹3,011-crore outlay set aside in the Budget for this financial year would be used for the continuity of the projects in progress. On the slow pace of trains in many stretches across the State, he said an incremental increase in speed was planned. The Ernakulam-Alappuzha-Kayamkulam-Thiruvananthapuram section had been structurally made fit for 110 kmph.
Catering for tomorrow
The Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil sectional speed was also being increased to 100 kmph from 80 kmph. Railways were planning to implement these in the current financial year itself, for which no land acquisition was required. “For speed beyond 110 kmph, we have to acquire land for fixing the curves. At the moment, on the third and fourth lines planned between Ernakulam and Shoranur, the option of a maximum speed of 130 kmph to 160 kmph is being explored. We are not catering to today, but tomorrow. Maybe there would be changes in the design of trains. We will have to take note of the developments in the industry as well while planning future projects,” he said.
On the canal tragedy
He initially refused to comment on the recent controversy related to the blame game over the incident at the Amayizhanjan Canal in Thiruvananthapuram, where a man drowned during cleaning work. He, however, said that to address the issues related to the canal, both structural and administrative interventions were required. The issue of height difference at the powerhouse bridge and the setting up of meshes upstream would be taken up. “It is our responsibility to dispose of the waste we produce — some 800-900 kg of waste a day, for which we have a mechanism. The waste generated outside our premises is not our responsibility,” he added.
