Source – https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/railway-board-directs-southern-railway-to-hold-talks-with-k-rail-on-silverline/article67507737.ece
Publisher – The Hindu
Giving hope to the ambitious SilverLine semi-high-speed rail project from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, the Railway Board has directed the Southern Railway to hold discussions with K-Rail (Kerala Rail Development Corporation Limited) on issues related to the project and submit a report at the earliest.
The board had earlier directed the Southern Railway to hold a meeting with K-Rail and submit its comments about the project. Based on the comments submitted by the Southern Railway, the board asked the zonal railway to hold discussions with K-Rail again and submit a detailed report.
Railway Board Gati Shakti Director F.A. Ahmad issued a directive to the General Manager of the Southern Railway in this regard.
Earlier, K-Rail authorities submitted details regarding the railway land to be acquired for the SilverLine project to the Southern Railway authorities following the first round of discussion. The board asked K-Rail to submit a detailed report of the railway land, existing railway buildings, and railway crossings coming under the proposed alignment of the SilverLine.
K-Rail and the Southern Railway had earlier jointly inspected the details of railway land and level crossings. Following the inspection, a report related to the land owned by the Railways, which Silverline has to acquire, was submitted.
The project requires railway land in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod. The State will have to acquire around 108 hectares of railway land on a stretch of 189.6 km spread over these districts.
With the final clearance for the project getting delayed, the State has been exerting pressure on the Centre. K.V. Thomas, Kerala’s special representative in New Delhi, had last week met Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan and senior railway officials to speed up proceedings.
