| Thiruvananthapuram - Mangalore High-Speed Rail Corridor | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | High-speed rail |
| Status | Proposed |
| Locale | Kerala and Karnataka |
| Termini | Thiruvananthapuram Mangalore |
| Stations | 9 |
| Operation | |
| Operator(s) | Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation |
| Character | At Grade |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 585 km |
| Track gauge | Broad Gauge |
| Operating speed | 200 - 250 km/h |
The Thiruvananthapuram - Mangalore High-Speed Passenger Corridor is a proposed high-speed rail corridor in India connecting the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala with Mangalore in Karnataka.
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The Kerala state government formed a new public limited company - Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd - to implement a high speed rail network. The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) was appointed the nodal agency to develop the project, and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been assigned with a pre-feasibility study.[1] The new company was formed on the basis of a pre-feasibility report submitted by DMRC.[2]
The initial proposal for the project was a high speed rail line connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod.
On 28 October 2011, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced that the Union Railway Ministry had decided to sanction Kerala's proposal for establishing a high speed railway corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore.[3]
| Thiruvananthapuram - Mangalore High-Speed Passenger | |
|---|---|
The feasibility study was conducted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).[4] The feasibility report says that the first phase from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi might entail an investment of 43,254 crore (US$8.22 billion). The report also suggested that the high-speed rail corridor link should be extended to further beyond Kasaragode towards the north and up to Mangalore. The second phase that would link Kochi with Mangalore and would cost over 118,000 crore (US$22.42 billion).[5]
The plan is to have two parallel tracks each in standard gauge systems, which would be independent of the existing rail network in the state. The trains will have an approximate speed of 300 km/h.[6] A single passenger train would be able to carry 817 people. It is planned to have nine stations initially, and 3 stations in the future, between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore. The service is expected to carry 15,000 passengers in one direction per-one-hour in fast tack trains.[7]
The high speed corridor is expected to cut down travel time from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi (currently 4–5 hours) to 45 minutes and from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangalore in just over 2 hours.[8] The proposed stops will be: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasargod and Mangalore.
The work is expected to start in 2013 and be completed by 2020. The first phase of the project — the Thiruvananthapuram - Kochi link — would be ready in five-and-a-half years, according to T. Balakrishnan, chairman and managing director, of the Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation. The high-speed corridor is expected to be commissioned in 2020.[9]
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) report on the project is expected by July 2012.
The project is expected to cost nearly 1,000 billion (US$19 billion), but 85% of the total amount could be availed as soft loan from Japan at a nominal interest rate of 0.2%. The Centre would also be part of the project, so the investment from the state government would be around 100 billion (US$1.9 billion).[7]
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