Railway ministry did not approve Kerala's high-speed rail project proposal: CM Vijayan

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the Railway ministry did not give approval for the proposed high-speed rail line project in Kerala, following which the Regional Rapid Transit System RRTS came under consideration.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the Railway ministry did not give approval for the proposed high-speed rail line project in Kerala, following which the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) came under consideration. Speaking at the inaugural event of the Loka Kerala Sabha, the chief minister said he, along with technocrat E Sreedharan, had approached the railway minister with a proposal for the high-speed rail project. He said faster mobility was achievable, but when the state government decided to move forward with the K-Rail project, it faced multiple hurdles. ''The most unfortunate phase is that for implementing such a project, the approval of the Railways is essential. The permission was not granted. But we tried further, but there were no results,'' Vijayan said about the state government K-Rail project. He said that when it was felt that the project would not materialise, Metroman E Sreedharan stepped in. ''You all know him not just for his technocratic ways but also his connection with power centres. From the power centres, I mean at the power centres in the Centre,'' he said. Vijayan recalled that Sreedharan had contested the last Kerala Assembly election and was projected by the BJP as a potential chief ministerial candidate. ''He told me that a proposal for a project has been submitted to the central government and they are ready to approve it if the state government approach them,'' he said. The chief minister said he, Sreedharan and K V Thomas later went to New Delhi and met the railway minister. ''But such a project was not even in his mind. We gave the proposal and requested a response. But there was no response,'' he said. Vijayan said that the later Delhi–Meerut RRTS project, which is under the Union Urban Affairs Ministry, came to the notice. ''When the Union Urban Affairs Minister came here, while attending a meeting with him, I asked about such a project and sought his help for it. He publicly said in the meeting that if we submit a proposal, an approval will be granted,'' he said. He said the minister's word was taken in good faith. ''They have said they will help with the proposal. Thus, the cabinet has approved to go forward with the RRTS project,'' Vijayan said. He said that though it may take time, the aspiration for faster mobility would eventually be realised. The Kerala cabinet has approved an RRTS corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod. On the other hand, Sreedharan recently claimed that the Union government is considering a high-speed rail line from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur.

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