Malappuram (Kerala) [India], February 2 : Dr E Sreedharan, former Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), on Monday said that a proposal has been initiated for the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a high-speed rail project in Kerala, following discussions with Union Railway Minister earlier this month.
Speaking about the development, Dr Sreedharan clarified that the current proposal is limited to preparing the DPR and does not amount to final approval of any project.
He said the idea of a high-speed rail corridor was discussed when he met the Railway Minister in New Delhi on January 16.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "This project is only for the preparation of the detailed project report for a high-speed rail in Kerala. The idea was mooted when I met the Honourable Railway Minister on the 16th of this month at Delhi. He was very keen on a high-speed rail arrangement, but the Silver Line project submitted by the state government so far was not acceptable to him or anyone else. In that context, he felt a high-speed rail line should be considered."
He further stated that during the meeting, he informed the minister that he had already prepared a conceptual scheme for a high-speed rail project, which is currently pending with the Railway Ministry.
Dr Sreedharan said he emphasised that the next step would be the preparation of a Detailed Project Report to take the proposal forward.
He said, "I mentioned to him that I had already prepared a scheme for a high-speed rail, which is currently pending with the Railway Ministry. To move forward, we need to produce a detailed project report. He agreed, saying, 'What is the difficulty? We will immediately order a detailed project report."
"He thought that was a great idea and decided to ask DMRC to prepare it. He also mentioned that since I am a former Managing Director of DMRC, I should be involved. I agreed, as the scheme is mine," he added.
Dr Sreedharan said that groundwork for the proposed high-speed rail project in Kerala is expected to begin in about a month, with a focus on public outreach and planning, once official clearance is received from the Railway Ministry.
"The survey will start in about a month because we need to reach out to the people and convince them that our proposal is entirely different from the Silver Line project and will be very beneficial for all of Kerala. We will be taking steps to meet with the public, as the Silver Line project faced serious issues because it was not well-received. We want to avoid other issues, which will take about a month or a month and a half to prepare for. However, we won't be idle during this time. We will begin planning the route, alignment, and the number of stations on paper, starting on all of these tasks immediately," he said.
Highlighting the differences between the proposed high-speed rail project and the Silver Line project, Dr Sreedharan said, "This project is entirely different from the Silver Line project. For example, the Silver Line project was entirely on the ground and required about 60 to 65 meters of wide land. In contrast, our project is mostly elevated or underground, so the land requirement is minimal. If it's in a tunnel, no land is required. If it's elevated, only a small portion of land is needed, and once the structures are ready and commissioned, that land can be returned to the owner. When owners realize that they still possess the land and can use it, albeit with restrictions on growing tall trees or constructing buildings directly under the railway, I believe they will support it."
He also said he is awaiting formal approval to begin work, stating, "I am waiting for official clearance from the Railway Ministry..."