Kerala Silver Line Rail Project

Railways are one of the few things India is thankful to the colonial government for and have been the heart of transportation ever since its existence. Initially, when railways came to India during the colonial era, it was solely for the purpose of transporting goods from one corner to the other, but as they evolved, people started traveling with them. By the time the British were ousted from the country, railways had become the core of transportation in the country and have been developing ever since. As of today, it is the largest employer in the country and covers almost all the corners of India. Post-independence, Indian railways have not just worked towards the growth of railway lines and the number of trains but also the reducing time of travel. One of these is the silver line project of Kerala railways which is going to be the prime focus of this article. 

Kerala Silverline Railway Project

Kerala, which is also known as god’s own country, has a major share in Indian railways as almost 4.5% is part of it. If one looks at it in comparison to the total share, the contribution is negligent, but in proportion to the population share of the state, which is just 2.5%, Kerala has a large number of railway lines with it. Even though it has many railway lines and a lot better connectivity than many other states, it is said to have a time-consuming railway network. As per the estimates, the time taken to travel from one part to another takes more average time than other states. An add-on to these slower journeys is the weather which brings monsoon and leads to a lot of havoc, making traveling more hectic. All this has led to the need for a more efficient railway network that cannot just sustain the changing weather but also reduce the time of travel. If the time of traveling is reduced, more people will start preferring trains over road transportation which will ultimately reduce the traffic and road accidents in the state. 

The Silverline railways project is going to be executed to cover the coastal region of Kerala, which has the highest concentration of population and this is where the need for faster railways is at present. This project starts in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram and ends in Kasaragod. In Between these two are the other nine major districts of the state, such as Kottayam, Kozhikode, Cochin and Ernakulam. This railway line is majorly being made to reduce the congestion and traffic in the state and it will also make it easier for the tourists traveling in the state.

The Silverline rail project is a semi-high speed corridor which is going to be 532 km long and is going to be constructed on a budget of 66,000 crore INR. It is expected to transport around 66,000 people in a single day with a number of 1,300 at around its most hectic hours. Since it is being made in the heart of a densely populated area, the work is in continuation towards the purchase of land with a loan of 2,100 crore INR from the government. It is a very round and ambitious venture between Indian railways and the Kerala State and is expected to be completed by 2024. 

Features

The Kerala silver line project is one of the major railway projects going on in the country and is expected to increase the efficiency of the railway network in the state by more than 50%. Certain key features which one should know about this ambitious venture are given below. 

• India is all set to move towards Electricity based trains and this corridor is said to have such trains, which are known as electric multiple unit trains and have the capacity of 12 vehicles with them. These trains are going to carry around 85,000 people a day.

• This railway line is being constructed in the most densely populated region of the state and is going to have 11 districts as its stations, starting from the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram leading to Kollam, Chenagannaur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Cochin airport, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur and ending at Kasargod.

• The overall land requirements for this project are around 1400 hectares, most of which are part of private land ownership in the state and are being acquired by the government on a loan of 2,100 crore INR from the central government. 

Conclusion

The Kerala Silverline railway project is one the most ambitious projects in railways and is going to be very helpful for the people of those who are facing issues with extended travel timings and are forced to adapt for the roadways; one of the major aspects of this railway project is the protest which it is facing. It is being claimed by many surveys that this railway line will affect the environment adversely and must be avoided as climate change is becoming a major issue globally. The project is in the primary stage of land acquisition and it is yet to be seen how it progresses.