RailEnquiry

Are Railway Budget proposals turning out to be a chimera for Kerala?As the State eagerly awaits the coming budget, even surveys announced from 2009-10 to 2012-13 for new lines and doubling of tracks are making only slow progress.A reconnaissance-engineering-cum-traffic survey for aligning the Balaramapuram railway station, on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari line, with the proposed container terminal at Vizhinjam are among the 16 lagging proposals, official sources told The Hindu . Only 20 per cent of the work has been completed for doubling the line between Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari sanctioned in 2012-13. The survey for a fourth line between Ernakulam and Shoranur (107 km) has attained only 20 per cent progress.However, 40 per cent progress has been made in the survey for doubling the 49 route km from Podanur to Palakkad sanctioned in 2011-12. For a new line from Ranni to Pampa, 60 per cent progress has been attained. Three surveys have achieved 60 per cent progress, five, 50 per cent and four, 40 per cent.Only 50 per cent progress has been achieved for the preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey for a 100-route-km new broad-gauge line between Madurai and Ernakulam and another new 106-route-km broad-gauge line from Erumely to Thiruvananthapuram, via Pathanamthitta and Punalur.

For the Madurai-Ernakulam line, sources say, the yard drawings have been sent for approval. Yard diagrams of the Erumely-Thiruvananthapuram line have been approved and the estimate has been forwarded for vetting.

Only 40 per cent progress has been attained in the preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey sanctioned in 2010-11 for a 101-route-km broad-gauge line between Chengannur and Thiruvananthapuram, via Adoor and Kottarakara. The surveys for the 23-route-km line from Mattannur to Kannur, 20.53 route km line from Thakazhy to Thiruvalla and 15 km route km from Kozhikode to Beypore have reached only 50 per cent. All three were sanctioned in 2011-12.

Seven surveys were sanctioned in 2012-13, and updating of a survey for a new line between Thalassery and Mysore (298 route km) has reached 60 per cent. Only 40 per cent progress has been attained in the survey for a new line from Nanjangud to Nilambur Road and the proposed railway line between Kollengode and Thrissur.