Kerala government forms four member expert panel to examine high-speed rail proposal

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government has constituted an expert committee to examine the proposal for implementing a high-speed railway corridor from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur based on an interim report submitted by the DMRC.

According to a government order issued by the Transport Department, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has prepared and submitted an interim report for the proposed Kerala High-Speed Rail project, envisaging a 473.20-km standard-gauge corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

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The four-member expert committee, headed by the Secretary, Transport (Railways), includes railway expert J Vinayan, finance and environment experts, Dr C Veeramani and Sridhar Radhakrishnan, respectively.

The government has also directed N S K Umesh, Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, to assist the Transport Secretary and facilitate the functioning of the committee.

The panel has been tasked with carrying out a comprehensive examination of the proposal, including its technical feasibility, financial viability, environmental implications, implementation challenges and potential socio-economic benefits to the state.

The committee has been asked to submit its remarks and recommendations to the government within three weeks, the order said.

The constitution of the expert panel follows recent consultations between 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan and Chief Minister V D Satheesan on the proposed high-speed rail network for the state.

The UDF government had earlier shelved the controversial SilverLine project proposed by the previous LDF regime.

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At the same time, Satheesan had indicated that Kerala would require an efficient mass transit system for future mobility needs and that alternative models would be examined through detailed studies.