Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who had earlier expressed support for the CPI(M)-led Kerala government’s proposed semi-high-speed rail corridor, SilverLine, on Wednesday said it should be looked into if the new Vande Bharat trains announced in the Union budget would be a cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to the rail corridor project.
In a facebook post Shashi Tharoor made announcement 400 new Vande Bharat trains with a speed of 180 km per hour is significant for Kerala.”Both the central and state governments should look into whether the Vande Bharat trains would be a cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to the rail corridor, K-Rail. If Kerala gets Vande Bharat trains, it may serve the need for fast transport facilities from the southern end of the state to the northern end. It would also address the concerns raised over the financial liability and environmental impact of the project.”the post read.
Tharoor had earlier invited the wrath of the Congress after he publicly spoke in favour of the proposed project. The party even warned him of action if he fails to stick to its line on the proposed project, which is facing stiff opposition at the ground level.
The Rs 63,940-crore SilverLine project envisions a semi-high-speed railway corridor through the state linking its southern end and state capital Thiruvananthapuram with its northern end of Kasaragod. The proposed 529-km line, which aims to cover 11 districts, is believed to be one of the largest infrastructure initiatives of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
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