T’puram: Railways sanctioned detailed project report (DPR) surveys to increase train speeds to 160 km/hr on seven routes in Kerala, said Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. But he did not say whether the routes will be sanctioned for an upgrade or construction.The seven routes are Shoranur-Mangaluru (third and fourth lines), Ernakulam-Kayamkulam (third line), Thiruvananthapuram- Kayamkulam (third line), Thiruvananthapuram-Nagercoil (third line), Shoranur-Ernakulam (third line), Thuravoor-Ambalappuzha (doubling) and Coimbatore-Shoranur (third and fourth lines).
In a written reply to a question raised by MP P P Suneer in Rajya Sabha on superfast railway lines in Kerala, Vaishnaw said, “After firming up of DPR, sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stakeholders – including state govt and necessary approvals – appraisal of Niti Aayog, Union finance ministry etc. As sanctioning of projects is a continuous and dynamic process, exact timelines cannot be fixed.“The Union minister also added that railways want Kerala Rail Development Corporation to revise the DPR of Thiruvananthapuram-Kasargod SilverLine to adopt broad gauge for integration with the existing railway network, a flatter ruling gradient, a drainage scheme for yards and sections, provision of Kavach, 2×25kV electrification and taking environmental safeguards during construction, among other measures.However, the govt of Kerala insists on considering SilverLine as a standalone project, he said.The Union minister also said that the average speed of train service is dependent on the maximum permissible speed of the sections, track structure, geometry along the route (including gradients and curves), topographical conditions, number of stoppages en route, line capacity utilization and maintenance works along sections.Route congestion prevents railways from improving the speed of trains and reducing travel time in Kerala. There are widespread public complaints that trains take more time to cover distances that can be covered much faster by road.
