Railways sets new conditions, alters course for Silver Line

Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian Railways will introduce new conditions for approving Kerala's Silver Line semi-high-speed rail project, requiring modifications, including changes in track gauge and alignment. The Railway Board is expected to send a formal letter to the Southern Railway and the state government soon. With these changes likely to alter the foundational design and budget of the project, how the state will address these demands is still unclear. The Kerala Rail Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) authorities have stated that they will respond only after receiving the official correspondence. Earlier, a similar letter was issued to Kerala by the Railways, and the KRDCL has submitted a detail reply following a joint inspection of the railway land identified for the project. The Railways' broader plan is to dedicate tracks for the high-speed Vande Bharat Express and goods trains while reserving existing lines for slower services. If a speed track allowing 180 km/h is constructed, the Vande Bharat trains can cover the 587 km from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasargod in just 3.5 hours. Although there is a huge demand for Vande Bharat trains in Kerala, adding more and operating them along with the slower services is impractical due to the limited track capacity.