Rs 10.99 cr to prepare detailed project report for suburban train services

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Thiruvananthapuram: The cabinet on Friday formed a joint steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary and sanctioned Rs 10.99 crore to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Thiruvananthapuram-Chengannur-Harippad suburban train services.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told meadipersons after the cabinet meeting that the MRVC would hand over the DPR within three months. The government hoped to get World Bank aid for the project which would cost roughly Rs 3,500 crore, he added.
The committee with Chief Secretary Bharart  Bhushan as chairman will have S. Anantharaman, chief safety officer, Southern Railway, Rajesh Aggarwal, divisional railway manager, Southern Railway and Ravi Aggarwal, executive director, planning, MRVC, as members. Biju Prabhakar will be the nodal officer and convenor of  the committee.
Chandy said the government would form a Special Purpose Vehicle with the centre on a 50:50 basis stakes. “The biggest plus point of the project is that no land acquisition is needed. But the challenge is to manage at least 83 level crossings on the route,’’ he said and added  that 25 stations would be modernised.
As part of the project, 10 MEMUs with seven bogies  each would operate on the route at a speed of 60 km per hour. The government has also suggested to the railways to launch a high-speed rail service in the Malabar region with only one stop in each district.
The state government’s suburban rail services initiative has gained importance in view of the union government accepting in principle the demand to restrict the width of highways in the state to 30 metres.