High-speed rail proposal lacks details: CM Satheesan

THe Kerala storage locker has decided to position on bear the high-velocity railway system project proposed by ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), acting on the recommendation of an expert committee that cited the absence of detailed environmental and social impact studies.Chief minister VD Satheesan, addressing reporters after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said the government-appointed panel, comprising experts from the railway, finance and environment sectors, found the DMRC proposal to be “incomplete” as it lacked details on estimated passenger capacity and the project’s social and environmental impact.“The expert committee has concluded that the high speed rail project should not be taken forward in its present form. The project proposal is not substantiated by social or environmental impact studies. Given Kerala’s financial constraints, lack of information on passenger capacity or financial viability, the committee has recommended that no preliminary steps on land acquisition or land surveys be taken,” Satheesan said.The chief minister said the United Democratic Front (UDF) had opposed the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s K-Rail project because of its environmental impact and lack of financial viability. “We want to ensure that the mistakes committed on K-Rail be not repeated here,” he said.Satheesan said the DMRC proposal also did not address freight and logistics movement along the proposed high-speed rail corridor. At the same time, he said, the state government wanted to strengthen logistics through its flagship port and aviation projects by improving railway connectivity and reducing pressure on roads and national highways.The expert committee, he said, has recommended that the state conduct its own studies on freight movement, alternative transport models, land availability for such mega projects, and the integration of Metro, inland waterways and port-related transport systems.“If such studies point to the need for such a high-speed rail project, only then should further steps on the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) be taken, the panel has suggested,” the chief minister said.The DMRC and Sreedharan had proposed a high-speed rail corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, reducing travel time between the two cities to about 3.5 hours. The proposal envisaged a corridor linking all four international airports in the state. At present, the Vande Bharat Express, the fastest train on the route, takes about seven hours to cover the distance.The UDF government, after assuming office in May, scrapped the K-Rail project, a flagship initiative of the previous LDF government. The Union government had also declined to approve the project.